School Days
by Sambaroses
Summary: Abigail Sciuto is the new girl in school, for the upteenth time of her life. Will Bleakwood high live up to its name, and can a goth and a geek ever really be just friends? Predominantly McAbby, with a healthy dose of Tiva thrown in for good measure. AU.
1. New Beginnings

**A/N: Hey everyone! So this is a little idea I had that seemed too much fun to just make a one shot, so this'll be a multi-chapter fic. I was just wondering one day '_What would the NCIS team have been like in high school?_', and then I thought '_I can write that!_', and yeah, this happened. This will be a McAbby fic (Do I write anything else? That's a question) but it will also have Tiva in it a bit later on, if things go to plan. Anyway, i'll stop wittering now, and I hope you enjoy the first chapter! :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, I only own the OCs (which are really only there to fill in the blanks or to serve the plot in the first place) and the scenarios. :3**

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><p><em>Breathe Abby, breathe<em>.

She reminded herself, taking a deep breath as she followed the other students into the huge grey building that was Bleakwood High School. And boy did Bleakwood live up to it's name, as it was very... well, bleak is all she could really think of to describe it. Plain grey walls seemed to close in on her from all sides as she attempted to weave her way through to where she hoped the reception desk was, her nose crinkling slightly as the distinctive smell of disinfectant hit her.

However despite the overwhelming blandness of the building she had more important things on her mind right now, like avoiding being knocked to the ground as she practically broke into a sprint at the sight of the desk, where a receptionist sat hunched over a computer.

"Excuse me, I'm new here and I was told you were the place to start, so I could really do with a timetable and a-"  
>She started brightly, smiling broadly as the words started tumbling out of her mouth in one long sentence, not even pausing for breath.<p>

"Ah, miss Abigail Sciuto, right? I'm miss Summers, but you can call me Amy. It's lovely to meet you."  
>She said, smiling warmly as she stood up and then bent down, rummaging through a draw and straightening up moments later with a number of papers in her pale hands.<p>

"Here you go, enjoy your first day!" She started to say as she handed over the papers, but Abby was already disappearing back into the crowds of students, red backpack swinging lazily from her shoulder as she struggled to make her way through.

Okay, first class... English. English wasn't her favourite subject. It wasn't that she was bad at it, she wasn't, but she'd always had more of a passion for IT, science, maths, and other classes like that. Regardless of her reservations she made her way between students, desperately looking for a door marked 2B as a loud bell sounded, signalling class was about to start, and that if she didn't find the room soon she'd be late. On her first day. That would just be embarrassing.

The corridors were soon emptying out and Abby was left stranded in the middle of the halls, clutching her papers to her chest as she half walked, half ran down the corridor, trying her best to follow the directions on the map she was given, but failing miserably as she soon found herself standing totally alone by a row of cherry red lockers, the distant sound of classes commencing ringing in her ears. Loosening her grip on her papers she returned to looking at the map once again, noticing that she should've run straight past it a little while back, if she even had the damn thing the right way up.

Turning on her heel she retraced her steps, finally arriving in front of the now infamous room 2B.  
>Raising her hand slowly to the scratched red door, she mustered up her now diminishing confidence and knocked, noticing every set of eyes in the room turned to gaze at her questioningly.<p>

"Yes?"

"I'm, uh, Abby? I'm new?" She said fairly loudly as she pushed the door open with her fingertips, feeling the stare of many pupils on her, in both senses of the word.

"Ah yes, Abigail. I'll let you off as it's your first day, but you should know that tardiness is not acceptable at this school, and if this happens again you will be punished accordingly." The fairly young teacher said, her steely blue eyes burning with annoyance from behind her curly strawberry blonde hair.

"You can sit there." She said after an unusual moment of silence on Abigails part, pointing to the middle of the room where a lone desk stood empty, quite close to a window considering it was boxed in by an occupied desk on either side of it.

"Thank you!"  
>Abby replied comparatively cheerfully, smiling a little as she made her way over to the desk, slinging her ribcage backpack under her feet as she sat down, staring attentively at the teacher who had already resumed the class. She started to write something out on the board about historical literature, not that Abby was really paying all that much attention as she struggled to shake the feeling of many pairs of eyes still on her as she pulled the books she'd been given out of her bag.<p>

It was same old, same old really, she'd been to that many different schools during her childhood and early teenage years that they all kind of blurred into one in her head, as she'd moved around a lot with her family. However one that did stand out in her mind was the last one she'd been to, a dingy looking place where she'd been bullied mercilessly for the way she looked, something she'd never really thought of as odd. I mean, sure, she looked different than other people, but she'd never really thought about the image she projected to others. She still didn't really care much about it, a fact reinforced by the smoky black eyeliner and brick red lipstick that she was currently sporting, as well as the mostly straight ebony black hair that was tied up in high bunches atop her head, the ends just a little wavy.

She'd also been forced into this... this monkey suit by her parents, which was particularly depressing for her as the last time she'd been to a school requiring uniform she'd been 9 years old. The outfit consisted of a short sleeved, collared white blouse, a pleated dark green skirt that came up shorter than it probably should due to her height, a green and white tie with diagonal stripes that reminded her of a candy cane, knee high white socks and plain back mary jane style shoes, shined to within an inch of their life. Basically, it was one of the most vile things she'd ever worn in her life, the white and green contrasting slightly oddly with her pale skin and quite dramatic makeup, or dramatic compared to the rest of the student body at least.

"-that's due in on friday. Class dismissed! "  
>She looked up with a start, realising class had already ended, and she didn't even know what her assignment was. Wow, way to go Abbs.<br>Dumping her books back in her bag with little care, she clutched the papers she had been given earlier as she started to walk, trying to figure out what the next class was and where it was. Okay, it might be Maths, but then again it could be ICT, she wasn't sure as the timetable was laid out in such a way like it was made just to confuse her more. In fact, she'd go as far to say it-

"Ah!"

She exclaimed in shock as a tall boy shouldered his way past roughly, causing another boy to crash into her, sending her papers flying before they hit the floor, where they promptly got stamped on and trampled all over by the rest of the students hurrying out. Getting to her knees from her new found position on the floor, she went to grab the first paper, almost recoiling in shock as a hand grabbed it before she did, pulling it out of her eyesight, forcing her to look up.

"Oh my god, i'm so sorry, let me help you."

A quiet voice said, as she looked upwards almost tentatively through her lashes, curiously inspecting the boy who had bumped into her. He was pretty tall from what she could tell, with neat brown hair and deep green eyes, which were looking at her almost nervously as he fumbled to collect her papers.

"Thank you!" She replied cheerfully, trying to allay his nervousness as he handed her the rest of the papers, offering her his hand as he stood. Taking it gratefully she hoisted herself to her feet, aware that they were the only two students left in the room, the teacher sending them such a glare that they swiftly made their way into the crowded hallway, sticking close to the wall so as not to get knocked off their feet. Letting her pale hand drop from his more tanned one, she smiled at him, determined to make at least one friend today.

"Who was that guy, the one who shoved you?" She questioned inquisitively, raising her eyebrows as she watched his face fall a little in what appeared to be worry.

"That's Tony, Tony Dinozzo. He's one of the schools biggest jocks and players, practically a new girl every week. I'd stay away from him if I were you. " He warned quietly, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand as he glanced around somewhat nervously, possibly scared that Tony or one of his friends might be walking past.

"... Anyway, i'm Timothy Mcgee-"

"And i'm Abby! Though you probably already knew that." She said, cutting him off with a laugh as she lightened the mood. He laughed at this, a rich sound that was more than a little infectious.

"What classes do you have? I can help you find them if you like." He said in an upbeat tone, as she offered him her timetable.

"I can't make head nor tail of it to be honest, the next class could be maths, or possibly ICT, it may even be Geography, I swear that that thing was made purposefully to confuse me and they should really try and-" She started babbling, waving her hands around in front of her as he pointed at a class on her timetable, McGee struggling to contain his laughter as all her words merged into one long sentence.

"You've got ICT next, like me." He said with a grin, though whether he was laughing at her or with her she wasn't sure.

"Come on then!" Abby enthused, grabbing his hand and starting to lead him down the hallway to her left hurriedly, dodging past other students.

"Uh, Abby? Other way." He stated from behind her and she could practically hear the smirk in his voice as she spun round, leading him back in the other direction.

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><p>Timothy Mcgee had never seen nor met a girl quite like Abby before, that was for certain. He'd watched her approach the desk next to his, her black bunches swinging rhythmically back and forth as she walked, her red backpack depicting a rib cage hanging lazily off one shoulder, her green eyes somewhat vacant, and her skirt riding just that little bit too high on her thighs for the dress code, though not so high as to infringe on common decency of course.<p>

She was beautiful if he was going to be honest, absolutely stunning to say the least.

Considering ICT was one of his favourite classes, he wasn't paying all that much attention to the task at hand, something about creating a basic blog using HTML. Beginners stuff really, but all he was focused on was Abby, the way her hair fell in front of her face as she leaned down to type, the way she chewed on her red lower lip thoughtfully as she typed out some coding so fast that it was almost on par with his own, his hands knocking out some basic stuff even though he was hardly even trying. She paused for a moment, her slender fingers hovering above the keyboard as her brow furrowed, her head tilting to the side slightly as she muttered something inaudible under her breath, before she continued tapping out a fast continuous rhythm on the keyboard like nothing had ever happened.

He averted his gaze away from her side of the room, desperately trying to focus on what he was doing. So far he'd created the homepage of his blog, which was linked to English in the sense that their main ICT task was to write a twice weekly blog for a month, but you had to write it like a character from a work of fiction.  
>Tim wasn't entirely sure how this was meant to help with his computer skills in any way, but he took their word for it, setting his mind on the header of the page.<p>

Soon enough the class was drawing to a close, as the time on the clock already read 11:45, almost lunch time. Class was dismissed just five minutes later, and he closed his computer, watching Abby out of the corner of his eye as she gathered up her stuff, before heading over in his direction.

"So is it like Caf- I mean lunchtime now?" She inquired and he pretended to only just notice she was there, standing up and stepping away from the desk he'd been working at hurriedly, almost knocking over his chair in the process.

"Yeah -"

"Great, can I sit with you and your other friends at lunch? I know nobody else you see." She interrupted with a giggle, her eyes lighting up as she spoke.

"Sure." He replied, smiling back. He didn't have all that many friends, but the ones he did have were good and close-knit, though they were often regarded as 'losers' by everybody else.

"Thanks!" She exclaimed loudly, and before he knew it he was being enveloped in a bone-crushing hug that felt like she was trying to squeeze the life out of him, his face contorted into a look of pure shock as he let his hands rest gently on her back.

"A-Abby, c-can't breathe." He coughed out after a few moments, his craving for air becoming too much even if he was reticent to let her go.

"Oh! Sorry." She apologized sheepishly, brushing invisible lint off his shoulders as she stepped back, a light blush of embarrassment dusting her normally very pale cheeks.

"It's okay." He replied with a laugh, making his way out of the classroom and into the busy hallway, Abby hot on his heels. Pushing his way through the throngs of people he felt a hand clasp round his lower arm, and as he looked behind him he noticed Abby was clutching on to him so as not to get lost in the crowds, as she knew she'd have little chance of finding her way back again if that happened. Smiling more to himself than at her he turned back to face the right way again, unfortunately just a few seconds later than he probably should have as he felt himself collide with something. Or more someone.

"Watch it Mcgeek!" The very familiar voice of Tony yelled at him, pushing him roughly backwards by one shoulder, not enough to make him lose his balance but enough to make him stumble.

"Sorry, it was an accident, honest!" He forced out as he avoided eye contact, barely managing to finish his sentence as he was shoved against a row of lockers by his collar, the metal digging painfully into his back as he came practically nose to nose with one of Tonys friends, Jack Simmons, fire raging in his hardened eyes as he tried to stare Mcgee down.

"I don't believe in accidents." Jack muttered under his breath, Mcgee holding his gaze steelily this time, refusing to let him win this little staring contest they had going on, Jack's face so close to his that he could make out every single pore.

"Hey, stop it!" Tim heard an angered voice call from behind Tony, and he knew it was Abby by the tone, even though he couldn't actually see her. It would have been wiser for her to stay out of it and she might have had a chance at an easy life at this school, but he knew even from the very short time he'd known her that she wasn't the sort of girl to just sit back and watch things happen.

"Well, who do we have here? A goth? Bit out of your league isn't she Mcgeek?" Jack said, releasing his grip on his collar as he rounded on Abby, who looked practically murderous, her stance wide and her eyes narrowed, her mouth set in a thin, hard line.

"I'm not a goth, i'm a-" She started, though she never got to finish as he advanced forwards and interrupted her.

"Ah, you have good taste Tim, i'll give you that." He said, grabbing Abbys chin with his hand and tilting it upwards, like he was either about to kiss her or punch her. She swiftly slapped his hand away, trying not to let any fear show through her exterior, bile rising up in her throat at the thought of him kissing her. She'd rather be punched if she was being honest with herself.

"Oh, 'ain't she a feisty one!" He said his hands clasping roughly around her shoulders, his nails digging painfully hard into her skin even through her blouse, leaving little half-moon shaped imprints in varying shades of red. At this point both Mcgee and Abby had had more than enough, and they both decided to act pretty much at exactly the same time. Abby decided to ram the heel of her shoe into Jacks toes with a surprising amount of force, sending him stumbling back in shock and anger, much to Tony's amusement.

"Leave her alone." Tim then said, stepping protectively in front of her mere seconds after Jack recoiled away, in case Jack let his aggressive nature take over and try to throw a punch at her, or worse. A huge black eye or a broken nose was not something you needed on your first day, he was sure of that.

"Watcha you gonna do Mcgoo? Fight me?" Jack said with a patronizing smirk, balling his right hand up into a fist by his side, his blue eyes glinting challengingly.

"He might choose not to, but she would, I can tell. Come on, i'm not willing to bail you out of yet another fight just yet Jack, it's a waste of my lunch break."  
>Tony spoke up, rolling his eyes at Jacks petulant glare before grabbing him by the arm, practically dragging him towards the cafeteria, leaving a very much annoyed Tim and an angry Abby in his wake.<p>

"Are they always like that?" Abby asked moments later in an exasperated tone, leaning against the row of lockers as she rubbed her marked left shoulder gently.

"Yeah, pretty much. Jacks all fury and fighting, Tonys more laid-back but still quite frightening when he wants to be. The head teacher Mr Vance tries to keep them in order, but it doesn't really deter them from annoying everyone." He replied, leaning next to her and placing his hand softly on her right shoulder as she gazed at him inquisitively.

"Thanks though Tim, he was pretty creepy." She said in a quieter tone, smiling at him slightly.

"You're welcome, though I should really thank you for sticking up for me as well." He confessed, grinning at her as she giggled.

"Well you're welcome too, now let's go, we'll be late for lunch!" She proclaimed, jogging down the now sparsely populated corridor as she aimed for the cafeteria, looking forwards to her Caf-Pow!. Because of being in school there weren't as as many Caf-Pow! breaks as she'd like, so she took the ones she did get seriously. Walking to the corner of the cafeteria after getting her tray of food, she slotted her coins into the large red machine, smiling with delight as her hands wrapped around the cup some moments later, as it had definitely been far too long since her last. All of 4 hours in fact.

Rejoining Mcgee and his friends at a plain white picnic-style table she sat down opposite him on the long bench seat, being unusually quiet for once, as it was well known to her family and anybody she knew really that the only time she was ever truly quiet was when she had a Caf-Pow! in her hands, and even then it wasn't guaranteed.

"What are you going to do Abby?" An intrigued voice pulled her back out of her thoughts as she blinked slowly, refocusing her mind on the task at hand.

"Huh?" She questioned, tilting her head to the side as she took another sip of her drink, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"About the English project." He added on, wondering why she looked so confused.

"Oh yeah, about that..." She said with a sheepish giggle, knowing that they all assumed she'd been paying attention in class, which was obviously untrue.

"I may or may not have missed what we were meant to do?" She mumbled quietly, staring down the straw of her Caf-Pow! as he and his friends laughed good naturedly, realising she had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.

"You're meant to write a short story from the point of view of one of the smaller characters in a work of fiction, like what would have happened if the Wizard of Oz had been in the point of view of the Wicked Witch of the West instead? Stuff like that." One of his friends, a boy who she knew to be called Jimmy answered, leaning over the table so he could speak normally instead of shouting it at her.

"I can help you with it, since you're new and everything, I mean if you want me to, of course you don't have to-"  
>A quiet voice mumbled near her ear and she turned back to look at Mcgee, who was starting to blabber a bit, kind of like how she had been earlier while she was still on the very hyper part of the almost constant caffeine high she had. Except he spoke in a less hyper tone, as he wasn't totally caffeine powered like she was practically all of the time.<p>

"I'd love your help Tim."  
>She said with a broad grin, finishing her Caf-Pow! and already moving to get another while she still could, rising from the table and starting to walk off.<p>

"Yeah, of course Mcflirt can help you with that!" She heard the playful gibes of Tim's friends behind her as she left, looking back briefly and watching him being elbowed in the side by Jimmy, who was having fun teasing him. Shaking her head with a giggle she advanced on the machine, fishing some loose change out of her backpack as she went. Maybe this school would be less bleak than she thought after all.

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><p><strong>AN: So there we go, first chapter done! I want to address a couple of things before the next chapter now, just to clear some stuff up.**

**1. Yes, Tony is a bit of a bully right now, but don't worry, a certain girl might just have to appear in his life soon and change him for the better. ;)**

**2. I apologise if any of them appear a little OOC, I was trying to think about how they would all be as teenagers, without losing the essence of the character y'know? Like I always imagined Abby would be quite similar to how she is in the program, McGee would be the shyer one, Tony would be the popular kind of character... you catch my drift. **

**3. I'm not American, hence I honestly have no idea how schools work over there! So if i'm making any huge mistakes in that respect feel free to point them out, I could do with the help.**

**Anyway, thank you for reading! See you next time! :D**


	2. Meet The Family

**A/N: Hi again everyone! First off, wow, I never expected this to be quite so popular! I only expected to get like one reader, so i'm pretty happy right now. :D Secondly, i'd like to thank everyone who has read, followed or favourited this story, and especially mcgeeksgirl, BunheadKitKat19, TivaJelloGSR, and Arabian3332 who all left lovely reviews. Anyway, I hope you like this next chapter! :D**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own NCIS - which totally sucks if i'm being honest - nor do I own Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, the poem 'Music', or anything else other than the scenarios and the OCs for that matter. :3**

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><p>"Ugh, this is hopeless..." Abby muttered to herself, resting her forehead down on the wooden desk before her with a loud thump. The practise paper lying on the desk was almost taunting her really, reminding her that she was a failure when it came to advanced Spanish. Hell, she didn't even have that great a grasp on <em>basic<em> Spanish. She'd been staring at this page for at least half of her free period, since it was something she knew she needed to work on, but every time she moved her pencil to the paper no answers flowed from it, however much she tried to get her head round it.

She was also aware that quite a few of the people in the open classroom she'd resituated herself to were sending her odd looks as she struggled, a Caf-Pow! in one hand, the pencil in the other, having written absolutely nothing and bobbed her head to the loud music coming through her headphones for what must have been half an hour.

Deciding it was pretty much hopeless had she gathered up her stuff, pushing her chair out with a loud scraping noise as she got to her feet. Clutching her supplies to her chest she pushed the chair back under the desk before starting to walk, narrowly avoiding the leg that suddenly appeared in her path as she went to leave, belonging to none other than Jack.

"Really?" She muttered under her breath, managing to stumble over his leg while still maintaining her dignity. He and his gang of jocks- or whatever they called themselves - were just laughing now, and as she made her way to the door she sent them an annoyed glare, to which they just smirked, thoroughly enjoying messing with her since she was 'the new girl' and everything. Stepping out into the sparsely populated corridor before she let herself do something she'd probably live to regret, she let out a shaky breath she hadn't even realised she was holding, biting her lip. She'd half-expected them to go after her if she was being totally honest with herself, it's what they would have done at her last school anyway. In fact she was pretty sure she had spent more time in the girls toilets than she actually did in class back then, since it was one of the few places she wasn't likely to get picked on.

Leaning her back against the wall, she absentmindedly swung her backpack off her shoulder, rooting around for the map she still couldn't really decipher. Bleakwood was like a maze, except following the right wall got you no where, she knew this from an experience she would never admit having to anyone, ever. Narrowing her eyes she searched around for the room that she could make an informed guess Tim would be in, since he had been every other free period they'd had for the past few days. Smiling in delight when she finally located it on the map, she tried her best to memorise the route, scrutinising it's every turn and bend. She'd been to the ICT room thrice before, but somehow the path there never seemed to stick with her, and she always seemed to end up in some unexplored corner of the school, desperately begging kind looking students for directions that were more often than not wrong.

Flinging the paper back into her bag carelessly she started to walk briskly, nodding her head to her blaring music as she sipped her Caf-Pow! delicately, trying to think of something that she could make work for the English project, since that would probably be more attainable than Spanish. She'd already gone through several options in her mind, ruling out each one as she went. First she'd thought of doing something adventurous like Macbeth from the point of view of one of the witches, but that had been logistically far too difficult. Then she'd tried playing it safe, with something like Alice in Wonderland, but quite frankly she just disliked the idea of having to write everything from the Mad Hatters view. The most recent thought she'd had was to do Little Red Riding Hood, though to be honest at this point she was losing the will to live and was slowly realising that writing everything through the wolfs eyes would be painfully boring to read anyway. She wouldn't even have inflicted that kind of boredom on someone like Tony, which definitely meant that idea was out.

Sighing lightly she looked up, just in time to see a battered door in front of her at the end of the corridor, red like all the others, a little window set into it that made peeking all that much easier. Pressing her fingers against the wood gently she peeped through, spying McGee on a computer in the corner, typing at such a rate she actually feared that he might break something. Mustering up her nerve she pushed the door open softly, making hardly any sound at all, the noise of fingers flying over keyboard keys filling the room, Tim still blissfully unaware of her presence. Deciding to have a little fun with him she took a slow step forwards, transferring her weight soundlessly as she crept towards him, hunched over slightly as she attempted to remain undetected. Using this method she managed to get almost right behind him, crouching even lower so as not to reflect in his computer screen. He was leaning over it currently, eyes very much focused on whatever he was doing, something she hadn't really been able to see much of due to her stealthy position.

"Boo!" She exclaimed loudly, grabbing Tim by the shoulders as she popped up, grinning like crazy. To say he was shocked was an understatement, his breath hitching as he literally leapt out of his chair, knocking it over with a loud crash as she laughed.

"Abby! D-don't do that!" He breathed out shakily, putting a hand to his chest as he struggled to get his breathing back under control, Abby struggling to contain her hysterical laughter.

"Oh, but you should have seen your face Timmy!" She giggled, barely managing to control herself.

"Yes, I get it, very funny." He muttered in an agitated tone, though he couldn't quite stop the small smile that played at the corners of his lips, betraying his amusement.

"But it was!" She said, taking a deep breath to calm herself down a little.

"Anyway, why are you here? I thought you were working on the wonder that is advanced Spanish." He stated, shaking his head as he let the corners of his mouth curve upwards into the smile that had been threatening to escape for the past few seconds.

"Ugh, I barely have a handle on basic Spanish, let alone advanced, so I thought i'd come and ask for that project help you mentioned!" She said brightly as he stood his chair back up, running his hand through his hair in a somewhat nervous fashion as he went to sit back down.

"Sure." He said with a shyer smile now he was a little less panicked, gesturing for her to sit next to him as he shoved the computer to the side a little to clear some room. She obliged happily, pulling a chair from one of the other tables and placing it next to his, sitting down heavily and shuffling her chair until it was literally touching his, their shoulders brushing as she rummaged in her bag for her notebook. Pulling it out she dusted off its cover, plain black with a skeletal hand depicted on it, reaching up for some invisible thing from the bottom of the book. Fumbling to open it she flipped to the first unused page, the empty lines staring back at her challengingly.

"So, any ideas on what genre?" He mumbled in a slightly shaky tone, unused to her working in such close proximity to him as she let her bunches fall in her face, staring down at the page like the words were just going to appear on it if she tried hard enough.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I mean I was going along a fairytale theme but that was kind of a failure, so then I thought maybe Shakespearean... but that would just be boring, so then I thought -" She started to ramble off, looking at him with bright eyes as she described her thought process.

"Maybe a classic would be easier for you." He interjected, having learned pretty quickly over the past few days that she was a girl who could ramble on for hours if allowed.

"Like what?" She questioned, tilting her head to the side curiously. Classics weren't exactly her normal reading, though she did have an appreciation for a few of them, especially ones by Jane Austen and the Bronte's.

"Well, what about Pride and Prejudice, or Wuth-" He started, not really that surprised when she interrupted.

"Ooh! What about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies?" She enthused, her eyes lighting up with delight as she looked at him.

"You've read that?" He queried, raising an eyebrow in surprise. Then again, it did sound like a very Abby-ish book, considering it promised gore and a female protagonist who wasn't afraid to live by her own rules.

"Yeah, it's one of my favourite books! They say you can't improve a classic, but I think that's because they haven't read _that_ yet." She responded, grinning broadly.

"Pride and Prejudice and Zombies it is then."He conceded with a laugh, shaking his head in amusement. Though he'd never have admitted it, he'd actually read the book himself one time when he'd been escaping from Tony and found himself in the library completely by accident. And he'd enjoyed reading it, which just made things that little bit worse.

"So what character should I choose? I mean there's the obvious choice of Darcy, but he is quite a big character... maybe Bingley?" She said, chewing on the end of her pencil absentmindedly as she twirled a strand of hair round her finger, obviously deep in thought.

"What about Jane? It could be interesting to see what her reactions to all the events were, not just Elizabeths." He said softly, watching her with a curious expression as she placed a hand on his arm, narrowing her eyes.

"How do you know so much about it?" She questioned, leaning forwards slightly as she spoke in an accusatory tone, searching his face with her eyes as she looked for answers.

"I... don't?" He said hesitantly, shifting back a little from her scrutiny filled gaze, a little fearful.

"Don't lie to me McGee." She stated in a firm tone, obviously waiting for answers as she raised her eyebrows in a challenging way.

"...I'm not." He replied after a long pause, and he knew he wouldn't have believed himself if he was Abby.

"You are, I can tell by your hesitation." She said, twisting round in her chair so she could place her hands on his shoulders, squeezing them slightly as she interrogated him like a suspect in those old-school cop movies.

"I'm not lying." He replied in a tone that came across a little less that trust-worthy, as he mentally cursed himself for not being a more believable liar. He was a pretty bad liar to begin with, and combine with that the fact that her close proximity was making him just a _tiny_ bit flustered, it made for a pretty damning mix.

"So are." She said with a smirk, finding obvious amusement in how easy he was to read, even though she'd known him the entirety of three school days she seemed to already have him figured out to a T.

"So not." He said, a smile twitching at the corners of his lips as she tried to make him admit it.

"Are!" She said, prodding him in the shoulder harshly, not enough to hurt but enough to get her point across.

"Not!" He said, letting out a short laugh just as the bell rang, signalling the end of their free period.

"Look what you made me do, i've wasted the entirety of my free period! Now i'll never get this done." She said jokingly, mock scowling as she gathered up her notebook and pencil, stuffing them into her backpack carelessly.

"It's only Thursday Abby, you'll be fine." He said, somewhat sad that their time alone together had come to an end. Over the past three days they'd hit it off pretty well, and since Abby was the sort of girl who seemed to accept people very easily she'd got on like a house on fire with his friends, especially Jimmy. He readily admitted to himself that he was a little envious of the seemingly close friendship between the two of them, but if anyone ever asked him about it he'd deny it to the grave, that he was sure of.

"But Timmmmy, I'm not a writer like you are! Miss Lambert will be lucky if I can give her anything more than two or three lines." She said, drawing his name out as she got to her feet, dropping her bag on the floor with a thump as she went to put the chair back where she found it.

"W-well, you could always come back to mine after school, I mean to work on it, not anything else, I don't have any ulterior motives, like I didn't mean-" He spluttered out, instantly regretting even having opened his mouth as the words came out in free fall, like there was no filter between his brain and his mouth.

"I know what you meant Timmy... you'd be the _last_ person i'd expect to have ulterior motives against me." She said with a giggle, grinning at his obvious nervousness as she skipped back over to the chair he was still seated on.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" He replied slowly, working on filtering his thoughts _before_ he spoke this time around.

"Oh, y'know, you just don't strike me as the perverted type." She said with an absent-minded shrug, bending down to pick up her bag.

"I can be perverted." He retaliated in a defensive tone, crossing his arms indignantly, though why he was defending his pervertedness he wasn't quite sure at this point in time. Something about Abby just made him want to defend it, like if that's what she looked for in a guy then sure, why couldn't he be?

"Yeah? So why haven't you tried to look up my skirt yet?" She said with a smirk, turning his swivel chair around so he was facing her, placing one hand on the arm of his chair and the other on the desk as she leant over him in a distinctly flirtatious way.

"I-I respect you, so-" He started, realising that his argument was pretty useless as she laughed good naturedly, shaking her head with evident amusement.

"Timothy, it wasn't a criticism." She said with a smile, tapping him lightly on the cheek with two fingers before turning away, leaving a pretty confused McGee in her wake as she walked to the door.

"It's a yes, by the way." She stated some moments later, turning to look over her shoulder as she opened the red door a crack, the sounds of the bustling crowds of students in the corridor drifting into the room, bringing them both back to the reality that they'd be late for class if they didn't get a move on.

"Huh?" He queried as he followed suit, shutting off his computer quickly as he made to leave.

"I'd love to come over." She said, waiting for him by the door, as even though she'd been attending the school for three days now she barely even knew where the cafeteria was, let alone most of the classrooms.

* * *

><p>"McGee!" A shout sounded behind him as the final bell of the day rang out, the scraping of chairs echoing in his ears as everyone hurried to leave Bleakwood long behind them for another day. He mentally ran through who could be after him in a matter of milliseconds, Tony, Jack, Jimmy, Abby-<p>

"Do you have a dollar? I'm one short of a Caf-Pow!, and I can't work without Caf-Pow!."

_Definitely Abby_ his mind confirmed as he turned round, coming literally nose to nose with her as she skidded to a stop, her mary janes barely managing to get a good enough grip on the floor to stop her from knocking him down in her impatient haste.

"Uh, yeah, sure." He mumbled, sticking his hand into his pocket as he reached for his wallet, barely managing to get the dollar out before she'd snatched it away, racing for the door.

"Wait here!" She shouted over her shoulder as she headed out the door, and he knew that she'd be going to the cafeteria just down the hallway so she could get her caffeine fix out of the machine. Abby always appeared pretty hyperactive, and considering she seemed to be addicted to Caf-Pow! it was no surprise really.

"Hey, Mcgee, good luck on your study date with Abby." A voice spoke, and McGee snapped back to reality with a start, finding his eyes were still trained on the door she'd just left out of. Looking up at Jimmy who had stopped to talk to him, he hurried to explain, his eyes widening all the while.

"I...It's not like that, it's not a date, I-" He started, flushing pink slightly in embarrassment at his words while Jimmy just grinned, almost cheshire cat like.

"Oh no, of course not. But Abby has been telling me all about-" He started, stopping short abruptly as Abby reentered the room, skipping happily along, her bunches swinging back and forth as she clutched a Caf-Pow! in her pale hands.

"About what?" She said, and Tim started to wonder just how much of that conversation she'd heard.

"Uh, just about your great project idea Abbs." He covered quickly with a smile, which slowly turned into a knowing smirk as he glanced between the two of them pointedly, his eyes lingering on Tim a little too long for comfort, almost like he didn't believe his explanation.

"Oh, that was mostly down to Timmy really, he was the one who gave me the idea in the first place." She said with a smile as she sipped her drink, seating herself on McGee's desk as she swung her legs back and forth in a childlike fashion.

"Of course. Well, good luck!" Jimmy finished, and McGee could easily tell what he meant by that statement as he moved away, the quivering of his shoulders indicating he was laughing as he walked out the door, the faint sound of his laughter as he entered the hallway confirming his thoughts.

"So, is your house close by?" Abby queried, her voice slightly muffled as she was sipping her Caf-Pow! at the same time, seemingly oblivious to what had just been going on. Then again she had only known them both for three days, which meant she was probably yet to pick up on their little idiosyncrasies and ways of speaking that implied something else entirely, as it so often did in Jimmy's case.

"10 minutes on foot." He murmured in a somewhat distracted way, still thinking over what Jimmy had said. _A date?_ That isn't what he'd meant when he'd asked, not that he wouldn't be over the moon to go on a date with Abby in the first place, but he was pretty sure she wasn't viewing it that way either. McGee had never really been very lucky with girls come to think of it, the last time he'd tried asking a girl out had been Freshman year, and let's just say that being shut down in front of half the class was not an experience he ever wished to repeat. _Ever_.

"So... are we going?" She said in a less carefree tone of voice as she set her Caf-Pow! down next to her on the desk, tilting her head as she looked at him with worried eyes, wondering why he appeared so distant.

"Yeah, sorry." He said, shaking his head slightly as he attempted to focus, realising the room was now all but empty, the last few stragglers making their way out into the corridor tiredly, worn out from yet another school day.

"Well, come on then!" She said with a broad grin, grabbing his arm so as to heave herself up off the desk, Caf-Pow! in hand as she started to make her way towards the door, Tim in hot pursuit as he forced himself back into reality.

They quickly made their way through the remaining dawdling students and out onto the street, where a few cars were still lingering, waiting to pick up their respective pupils. Heading to their right they made their way down a few streets, talking pleasantly all the while.

"You and Jimmy get on well." McGee mentioned in what he hoped was a casual way, avoiding looking her in the eyes for fear it would give him away. He wasn't jealous of their relationship exactly, okay maybe he was a little, but he secretly hoped that Palmer had somehow managed to weird her out like he did a lot of people. He knew that wasn't a nice thing to wish, but he did all the same, hoping that his habit of sticking his foot in it would have put her off even just a little bit.

"Oh yeah, he's nice." She stated in an equally casual tone, trying to eek her Caf-Pow! out as much as possible as she took the tiniest sip from the still two thirds full cup, not seeming to notice his hesitation. _Nice?_ What did she mean by that? Nice like a puppy, or nice like 'he's pretty attractive' nice?

"I guess you could say that." He replied quietly after a moment, thinking out his reply carefully as he observed her surreptitiously, trying to gauge her true reaction, though for all intents and purposes she seemed genuine enough in her answer.

"He does seem to have a habit of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time though, did I tell you about the time in Maths where he accidentally told the teacher a-"

"Well, this is it!" He said abruptly, cutting her off on purpose as he didn't wish to hear all about how funny Jimmy was if he was being honest with himself, hovering outside the gate to a small garden.

"You have a garden? You're so lucky!" She enthused, seemingly none the wiser to his thought process as she gazed at it wide-eyed, taking in the little paved path through the middle, the flowerbeds perfectly groomed, their hues of yellow and pink brightening the place up considerably. His mother slaved over them for a lot of the Spring and Summer every year, they were her pride and joy really, especially as a distraction after one of the frequent arguments with her husband, his father.

"You don't?" He questioned, looking at her in surprise. To Tim it was just a garden really, but he supposed to someone who didn't have one it could be pretty great.

"Oh no, we live in an apartment block. The closest my family get is a balcony about 60ft up!" She stated with a laugh, standing by the gate as McGee opened it, letting her pass through first in true gentlemanly fashion.

"So you have siblings?" He queried in a somewhat surprised manner. She'd never actually mentioned much about her family, but he felt sure that he should've known that. Then again, it appeared he still had much to learn about her if the current conversation was anything to go by.

"Just a little brother, so you've got no chance of getting with my non-existent devastatingly beautiful older sister McGee." She joked with a wink, taking down her black lace parasol as she got to the door. At first he'd been a little bit confused as to why she wouldn't go outside in the sun unless she had her parasol and matching elbow length gloves, but Tim had soon come to realise it was just another of her many quirks, her dislike of the sun being one of the more normal ones compared to the others.

"Do you have any?" She asked a few moments later as he opened the already unlocked door, pushing it open with a growing sense of trepidation. Meeting his family could be quite full on, he remembered the time Jimmy had met them vividly, and what with his habit of putting his foot in his mouth things hadn't gone very smoothly. Like '_don't invite him over unless it's a life or death situation_' smoothly.

"Yeah, a _lazy_ little sister." He replied teasingly, suppressing a laugh as a defensive shout of '_Hey!_' came from another room, a girl appearing at the end of the hallway they were currently in. She had long curly brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, deep green eyes, and a tall stature, her school uniform indicating that she went to a different school, probably Middle School or Junior High Abby guessed, judging by her age.

"I'm not lazy, I was back before you wasn't I?" She stated matter-of-factly, folding her arms over her chest defensively as a small smile creeped onto her face, looking between the two of them with inquisitive eyes.

"Sarah, meet Abby, Abby, this is Sarah." He said, gesturing between the two of them as they eyed each other curiously, Sarah more hesitant on the approach than Abby.

"It's nice to meet you." Sarah said cautiously as the smile dropped slightly, like she was trying to decide whether she liked the look of her not, extending a hand towards Abby slowly. Abby however had other ideas, pulling her in for a bone crushingly tight hug before she could object, totally ignoring her extended hand.

"Hi!" She enthused happily as she pulled back from the hug, leaving one very perturbed Sarah in her wake.

"So you're the famous Abby then. You're different than I expected." She replied curtly, her mouth setting into a thin line as she looked her up and down, obviously deciding she probably didn't like her all that much.

"How so?" Abby replied in a quieter tone, sensing that something was a little off as McGee floundered to the side of her, unsure of how to break the tension that was suddenly hanging in the air, a thin vapour that was gradually becoming a thicker mist.

"You're weirder. Weirder and taller." She muttered, before turning on her heel swiftly and stalking back into the room she'd emerged from previously, putting a pair of headphones on to signal that she was finished with them. If you'd think Abby would be confused by this statement, you'd be right. I mean, sure, she'd been called weird before, but no one had ever said she was taller than they expected. Well, except that guy she'd liked who was quite far on the shorter side, but she didn't like to dwell on that for too long lest she get sucked back into memories of old.

"I don't think she likes me." Abby stated bluntly, turning to look at McGee with a kind of sadness in her eyes he hadn't seen before. She was a people person at heart, and when people judged her without even giving her a chance it irked her more than she cared to admit.

"I'm sure she does, she's just not, a, uh... good in social situations." He garbled in a rush, stumbling over the sentence as he struggled to make her feel better while still defending his sister. She could be quite standoffish and abrupt at times, but she was a sweet girl at heart, and he'd quite honestly do anything for her, as he was pretty sure she would him.

"I guess." She said shortly, signalling that she wasn't happy due to the briefness of her speech, something of a rarity considering she was nearly always talking ten to the dozen.

"Is that you Timothy?" A gruff voice barked from another room, bringing him back to his senses, and Abby watched as Tim visibly tensed up, obviously on edge. _His family isn't exactly harmonious is it?_ Abby pondered silently, feeling like maybe she was causing more harm than good by even being there, like pouring gasoline on a fire that was just simmering under the surface, ready to explode at a moments notice.

"Y-yeah, it is Dad." He replied as a tall, suited man walked out into the hallway, holding himself in a distinctly straight military style posture as he stopped right in front of them, looking at Abby with evident scrutiny.

"You're late." He said sternly, settling his eyes back on Mcgee who was standing tensely, so tensely he looked like he might snap if you hit him hard enough, not that Abby would.

"I-I know, s-sorry-"

"Never apologise Timothy, it's a sign of weakness." He asserted, cutting the now anxious looking younger McGee off, his expression hard and unforgiving.

"And who's she?" He said in a slightly tougher tone, staring directly into Abby's eyes as she stood to the side awkwardly, chewing nervously on her red lower lip as she twirled the end of one of her bunches round and round her fingertips .

"Oh, this is Abby, I offered to help her on the English project and-"

"You didn't ask if you could have people over." He said sternly, and Abby soon noticed a woman appearing behind him out of the corner of her eye, her light brown hair flowing loosely over her shoulders as she rested a hand on the older McGees arm, her floaty yellow dress contrasting against her lightly tanned skin.

"Come now John, you're scaring the poor kids." The woman said softly, flashing the two of them an apologetic smile as she rubbed her hand up and down his arm in a soothing fashion.

"But Lucy-"

"No buts John." She interrupted in a firm tone, her eyes darkening slightly as her smile became just that little bit more feigned.

"Now, why don't you two go up to Tims room before John decides to launch into a lecture." She said with a now decidedly forced smile, gesturing to the stairs directly to the right of them with a definite urgency as the smile remained fixed on her face, becoming more and more fake as the seconds ticked by. Taking the hint Abby dragged a frozen Tim to the staircase by the arm, practically sprinting up them as an argument erupted behind them.

"-were young once too John!"

"He's not achieving anything-"

"- he's 17, not 25!" The shouting drifted up to them as Tim regained his composure, smiling apologetically at her as he crossed the landing, letting her into his room. Abby followed him in wide-eyed, taking in every single detail. The room was so very _McGee_ that it actually took her by surprise, the walls painted a light creamy colour, posters for various games, bands, and people hung neatly along the walls. There was a desk in the corner, a vintage looking type-writer placed atop it, pieces of paper both used and unused littering the plain carpeted floor around it. In the center of the spacious room there was a single bed, complete with Star Trek bedding, and just to the right of that there was a large table, the apparent home of his computer. Hardware parts were littered across the table too, an abandoned Harry Potter book lying open by the bed. Abby honestly wasn't sure whether she'd walked into the bedroom of a 17 year old or a 12 year old, but either way she found the decor quite amusing, giggling to herself.

"What is it?" He questioned, glad to have escaped his parents arguing as he closed the door behind them, effectively shutting a lot of the noise out as he dropped his bag onto the floor carelessly.

"I don't know, it's just so... _you_." She responded cheerfully, walking over to the bed and sitting down on it with a resounding thump, sipping the Caf-Pow! she'd forgotten she was even holding in all the drama.

"So, what's the deal with your parents?" She queried innocently after a long moment of silence passed, acting like this was a casual question to ask and not very personal at all.

"Oh, uh... well, Dad is an Admiral in the Navy, so-"

"You don't seem to get on too well." She mentioned, smiling at him slightly in sympathy. Her own relationship with her father was close and well, _fatherly_, which was obviously something that was really lacking from McGee's life. She wondered what it would have been like without her own father there for her, and quite frankly it was a scary thought. Her whole family had been behind her when she decided to be a goth, and when she'd broken up with numerous past flames, it's just how things had always been for her. Without their support she wouldn't have been the person she was today, she was certain of that.

"No, we don't really... I-I remember one time when I was 7, I spent hours making him a birthday card, and when I finally gave it to him he... he told me I could do better and that I should try again." He said in barely more than a whisper, chuckling hollowly at the end, a sound that made Abby's heart break for him just that little bit more.

"It's in the past now though." He added, which was so obviously a lie he actually had to suppress the urge to cringe at his words.

"And your mother...?" She asked tenderly, aware she could be stepping on thin ice at this point, having seen through his transparent lie easily, though choosing not to take him up on it as it was obviously a touchy subject.

"Well, they're always arguing, so I don't expect them to last much longer." He stated uncharacteristically bluntly, shrugging slightly as he avoided her eyes, rummaging in his bag for his notebook in an effort to busy himself and effectively end the conversation.

"Oh." She mumbled, noticing there had definitely been a shift in atmosphere, which she was not enjoying one bit. She hadn't meant to upset him, but sometimes she was just a little to nosy for her own good, she knew that better than anyone.

"Right, well, i've got my notebook!" She enthused in an overly jovial voice, changing the subject in an effort to dispel the depressing edge in the air.

"So have I Abbs." He responded with a smile, holding up his notebook triumphantly from his seat on the floor, where she chose to join him after some seconds of deliberation.

"I was thinking I should start it near the end of the plot in the book, since I don't have that long to write it." She offered, playing with a pigtail absentmindedly as she placed her Caf-Pow! down on the floor next to her, rooting around for a pen in her backpack. After coming up empty handed she sighed, just before a black pen was placed in her hand by Tim, who was grasping several pens of varying colours in his left hand.

"Thanks!" She said, smiling light-heartedly at him, noticing his mood had appeared to brighten a bit.

"Just don't forget to give it back." He responded, her smile becoming contagious as he smiled back.

"No sir!" She said loudly, mocking a salute at him with her right hand, giggling while McGee struggled to contain his laughter.

"Maybe for the project you could set it around the time where Elizabeth embarks on the trip with her Aunt and Uncle? You don't hear much from Jane during that time, so you could document her thoughts or something like that. Maybe like a diary?" He said after their laughter died down some minutes later, clearing stray papers away from around them as best he could.

"What's this?" Abby asked, picking up his notebook where a page lay open, neatly written words calling to her from the page.

'_Sweet melody amidst the moving spheres_

_Breaks forth, a solemn and entrancing sound,_

_A harmony whereof the earth's green hills_

_Give but the faintest echo; yet-_ '

She started to read silently, startling slightly when it was pulled out of her hands hurriedly, a blushing McGee shoving it out of the way.

"It's nothing, just meaningless, uh, words-" He stuttered out, avoiding her gaze as he made sure all the papers were conveniently out of her reach, setting his notebook to a fresh page in front of him.

"That was good Tim, very good. You really should be a writer." She mumbled softly, longing to read the rest of the poem but knowing that that would just be prying, especially as it was his personal notebook, in his house, in his room.

"Maybe some day." He replied with a laugh, selecting a dark blue pen for himself. And though he seemed uncertain, she felt sure he could be. He just needed to believe a little more.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, there was chapter two! I'm aware it was pretty dialogue heavy, and for that I apologise, but I felt some character development was needed, a window into one of the reasons why McGee is firmly on the shyer side if you will. Also, I thought I should add some fluffy non-plot related scenes, because where is McAbby without the pointless tangents, flirtation, and jokes? xD**

**And as in the last chapters A/N, here's a little section just to clarify a few things:**

**1. I haven't seen either of the episodes with John McGee or Sarah McGee yet (because here in the UK the show jumps seasons a lot), and for that reason I kind of had to calculate how I think they'd have reacted based on past fanfictions i've read, and the information I could find on the internet.**

**2. I've never actually read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I was just brainstorming for a book Abby would choose to do her project on, and it seemed fitting! If anyone has read it and i'm portraying it in the wrong way, let me know and i'll try my best to adjust it accordingly.**

**3. I've already written the beginning of the next chapter, and I can pretty safely say that Ziva will make her debut then, just to give people a heads up. :)**

**4. Finally, I saw this in a previous fanfiction which I regrettably can not remember the name of, and I thought it would be a nice idea to include. If you decide to review (Which makes me very excited if you do! Seriously I get stupidly happy), i'd also really appreciate it if you could maybe include your favourite line from the chapter, no matter the reason why you liked it. It's not a must, it's just so I know what you guys like, and then maybe I can add more of it in the future. x3**

**I'm aware this note is dragging on a little and you're probably getting bored, so i'll stop going on now, I promise. xD **

**'Til next time! :D**


	3. The Exchange Student

**A/N: Hi again everybody! I just want to thank everyone who has read, favourited, or followed, and especially TivaJelloGSR, mcgeeksgirl, and Arabian3332, who all left lovely reviews again. Seriously, all of you readers make me very happy! :3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, because let's be honest, if I did own it i'd probably end up losing it somehow anyway. It's far safer with it's proper owners, who thankfully still own it and haven't been silly enough to give it to me.**

* * *

><p>"Dammit!"<br>Abby exclaimed, bashing her head on the side of her coffin painfully as she fought her way out of her bedclothes, hopping out with all the grace of an elephant in stiletto heels.

The time? Quarter to nine in the morning.

The day? Friday.

Her current state? Panicked to say the least.

She'd managed to oversleep, which was a pretty big achievement considering she normally barely slept at all, usually too wired from her Caf-Pow! for rest to come at all easily to her. However, with the schedule at school she was struggling to fit Caf-Pow!s in, which probably explained her current predicament.

Stumbling blindly across her room she fumbled to draw the curtains, cursing as she stubbed her toes on various things she couldn't actually see, jumping around in pain as she flung the curtains open. As the light streamed in she turned round hastily, scanning the dark purple room with her eyes as she searched for the ugly outfit that constituted her uniform. Locating it moments later abandoned in a heap she dashed over to it, changing out of her black skull and crossbone printed pajamas hurriedly.

Narrowly dodging tripping over one of the many pairs of boots she owned she staggered towards her dressing table, clutching blindly at where she hoped her black eyeliner was, her sleep blurred eyes making things a little more difficult. Curling her fingers around the familiar pencil she hastily applied some, filling her lips in a dark pink while she was at it, before glancing at the clock again with trepidation filled eyes. Ten minutes. That's all she had.

Grabbing her bag from where she'd abandoned it tiredly the night before she slung it over her shoulder as she jogged out of her room, shouting a hurried farewell at her alarmed parents before taking off out of the apartment and to the elevator, jamming at the buttons angrily as she waited for it to get to her floor.

"Come on, come on, come on." She muttered to herself, tapping her foot to a fast rhythm as she waited, every second passing painstakingly slower than the last.  
>When it eventually arrived, Abby dived into it like her life depended on it, slamming her palm against the ground floor button with a great urgency to make it on time. She didn't want to risk being tardy again, especially as that would make it twice in only five days.<p>

Leaning her back against the cool metal she looked up to observe the other occupants of the lift, somewhat surprised when she realised it was just her. Normally there would at least be a few people who were on their way to work or something, but she had obviously out slept them as well. Taking a deep breath into her lungs she tried to calm herself a little from her panicky state, running an absent minded hand through her loose, tangled hair. In her hurry she hadn't even noticed that she hadn't sorted it out, but it was too late now to do anything with it except finger comb, she'd just have to see if she could find some way of keeping it out of her face when she got to school.

Jerking her head up as the elevator pinged she snapped out of her thoughts, barely giving the doors a chance to open as she squeezed through the gap, taking off through the lobby area and out onto the street. Weaving past pedestrians she hollered hasty apologies behind her, bumping into more people than she could count as she made her way forwards, thankful for her long legs that meant she could cover a lot more ground at a faster speed than most, though it still wasn't fast enough for her liking, considering she was still probably going to be late.

Thanking every single holy entity she could think of as the looming gates came into view she powered towards them, willing her legs to move faster as she saw them start to close. Barely skidding through in time she rested her back against the cold metal rails for a moment, hardly giving herself a chance to catch her breath before she was running again into the school, following one of the few routes she'd managed to memorise, the way to 2B, also known as English. She knew that she'd get told off for running if anyone of authority saw her, but she also knew that the grilling she'd surely get from Miss Lambert would be far worse than any detention they could inflict on her.

Staggering through the familiar red door, she slowed her pace down slightly as she struggled to control her ragged breathing, almost knocking her chair out from underneath her as she took her seat at the desk next to McGee's.

"Are you okay Abbs?" He questioned from beside her, looking organized and seemingly well put together as always.

"O-o-verslept, l-late." She breathed out heavily, sweeping her messy hair over one shoulder as she lay her head on the desk, fighting to level her breathing out.

Before he got a chance to reply Miss Lambert approached, an unfamiliar girl in tow as she greeted the class in her usual bored sounding tone, like she'd rather be anywhere else that there at that exact moment. The girl however was very pretty, a pair of bright hazelnut coloured eyes looking out from behind her head of brown hair that tumbled in loose curls to her chest, her gaze strong and steady, confident even.

"Everyone, we have a new exchange student today, who's just transferred here from Israel! I trust you'll all make her feel welcome."  
>Miss Lambert announced loudly, gesturing to the new girl who kept her facial expression pretty blank, not mean or kind, just... blank.<p>

"Introduce yourself." Abby heard her murmur a few moments later, nudging the girl gently, though the girl seemed too preoccupied with observing all the students to really focus.

"Hello, I am Ziva David."

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><p>Tony drew a sharp intake of breath, taking in every inch of the new girl, '<em>Ziva<em>' if he'd heard correctly. She was... well, beyond beautiful, but also quite intimidating, he could just tell by the way she was standing and the way she was making direct eye contact with everyone that she was no pushover. And now she was walking away to a vacant desk that had been put out specially, and he couldn't help but let his eyes follow her every move, watching in awe as she casually flicked some of her thick brunette hair over her shoulders. Turning to take a seat she cocked her head to the side as she made direct eye contact with him, raising an almost disapproving eyebrow at him before she turned to focus on the teacher, who was already pressing on with the lesson.

" - if you could all hand your essays in at the end of the lesson."  
>Filtered into his brain, and he mentally made a note to escape the classroom before Miss Lambert chastised him yet <em>again<em> over his lack of commitment to his work.  
>He was certain he was going to fail this class anyway, like numerous others he was taking, but if it didn't really interest him he just wasn't inclined to do the work, regardless of his grades. I mean sure, he did want to go to college, but he was also intending on enjoying the rest of his teen years while he still could, and if that meant forfeiting exams he didn't want to do, then so be it.<p>

Soon enough the class was already over, and he audibly sighed with relief as he got up to leave, hurrying to make it out before the teacher realised the absence of his essay on her desk. Picking up his backpack quietly he made to exit, treading quietly as he attempted to sneak out along with the rest of the students.

"DiNozzo!" The grating shout sounded behind him and he looked longingly at the door that was so close, yet so far away as he turned around, grinning sheepishly. _She must have some sort of built in radar_, he thought, thinking of no other way she could have noticed his absence that quickly.

"Yes?" He said, wincing slightly at her piercing glare that looked like she was trying to see into his very soul.

"Essay." She stated in a warning tone, extending her open palm out to him expectantly.

"I already gave it to you?" He blagged, trying to turn on his self titled 'DiNozzo charm' with a dazzling smile that he was sure stretched from ear to ear. It had never worked before on teachers, but he knew it was worth a go regardless.

"Nice try. One hours detention after school." She retaliated, handing him a slip of paper with his name already neatly written on it, like she'd been expecting this to happen. Nodding begrudgingly he made to skulk out the door again after his friends, who he knew would be out in the corridor waiting for him, and possibly having a little fun with the weaker students while they were at it.

"Did I say you were excused? Sit." She called after him, gesturing to the nearest desk to her. Raising his eyebrows slightly in surprise he trudged back to her glumly, sitting down on the chair with a resounding thump.

"You do realise Anthony, that if you don't knuckle down soon you have no chance of going to college?" She said as she tidied up the papers on her desk, not even looking at him as she busied herself, waiting for the next class she'd have to teach.

"I know, but-" He started, getting almost immediately cut off.

"I don't think you do! If you don't try harder you're going to end up in a dead-end job with no qualifications to your name." She vocalised harshly, slamming the now orderly papers back onto her desk with quite a bit more force than necessary.

"But I-"

"For that reason, i'm assigning you a tutor. You know Timothy McGee I presume?" She voiced, looking at him with hard eyes as his heart plummeted straight down into his stomach. Of course he knew the boy, one of the geeks he'd been picking on since the first year of middle school was kind of a difficult person to forget after that long.

"Look Anthony, i'm not your enemy, I just don't like to see my students fail... you're a bright kid, I know it, you just need to apply yourself more." She reassured, looking up from where she was reading someones paper with slightly softer eyes, a hint of concern in them as she sighed lightly.

"I'll confer with Tim, and if he agrees I feel he would be the best person to tutor you, considering he's top of this class. You're free to leave now." She said as unfamiliar students started to filter into the room, dreary expressions etched into their faces. Tony actually half-expected little rainclouds to appear above some of them they looked that gloomy and bored. Getting to his feet he made to walk out once more, stopping short as he heard his name called out for the upteenth time.

"Tim's a nice kid, I trust you'll treat him as such." She said to him as he hovered by the door, her voice thickly laced with a comparatively thinly veiled warning.

"Yes Ma'am!" He replied with a grin, finally managing to escape the classroom as he let the faux smile drop from his face faster than he even believed possible as he ran a hand through his hair worriedly.

_What would this do to his reputation?_ He had an image to keep up, and hanging around with one of the schools biggest geeks wouldn't exactly endear him to the rest of his friends, let alone any of the girls. His friends could be a little judgmental and rude sometimes, but some of these guys had been his friends since the first year of Middle School, and they all expected things from him, things he honestly wasn't sure he even possessed anymore. They expected him to lead them, hang out with them, and some activities that hurt others he didn't really want to dwell on. He wasn't a bad guy, he knew that, and yet the look of fear that crossed many of the students faces who were firmly on the geeky side whenever he and his friends passed by made his stomach lurch just a little bit.

"Hey, Tony, what did she want?" A voice broke through into his thoughts as he looked up in surprise, to find one of his friends Max walking alongside him as they headed to Maths, some of his other friends hanging back behind them.

"Oh, nothing much, just that she wants to assign me a tutor." He replied in a somewhat distracted state, trying to decide what the best way was to break the news to his friends. He supposed if he just made a big deal of voicing his disgust that they'd leave it be.

"Ooh, that's rough. Who'd she suggest?" He pried, and Tony wondered just how well this was going to go down with them. Right now it could go either way, it could be '_Oh well_' or '_Wow, you're a total loser_'. He was hoping for the former.

"McGeek. I mean, can you imagine? I'll actually have to spend time with him and his loser friends." He said, piling on as much disgust as he could muster, awaiting their reactions with bated breath.

"Well yeah, but the goth chick he hangs out with is pretty cute, you gotta admit. So it's not all bad." He replied with a suggestive smirk, to which Tony just rolled his eyes despairingly. It appeared that Max had taken quite a liking to her judging by his voice, and if his expression was anything to go by it seemed that he'd happily be in Tonys place.

"If you say so." He replied, shaking his head in amusement.

"I saw him hanging around with the new girl during class earlier too, the geeks like a chick magnet recently." Jack piped up from behind him, his mop of messy brown hair coming into Tonys peripheral vision. _A chick magnet?_ Maybe it was because Tim was actually nice unlike Tony, if you could even call Tim a magnet in the first place.

"I'd hardly call two girls a chick magnet Jack. Plus, no girl can resist the old 'DiNozzo Charm', right?" He said with a laugh, flashing a passing girl one of his best grins as he not-so-subtly checked her out.

"Well, if either of them ditch you, i'm next in line." Max piped up again, smirking as they made it to the dim locker room, as Gym was up next.

"I'll keep that in mind." He replied simply, going over to his locker as his feigned grin dropped as quickly as it had appeared. He was all too aware that Ziva was way out of his league, and even though he had put on a flirtatious cocky front, he didn't really believe in its effectiveness. Sure, he'd managed to become a bit of a player over the years, but what could he say? _He liked girls_, it was just a fact of life. But somehow, he doubted Ziva would be the kind of girl who would ever even look twice at a guy like him, a guy with such a reputation that he actually managed to scare people he'd never even met. Maybe he was wrong... god, he _hoped_ he was wrong.

* * *

><p>Abby was annoyed. Okay, that was kind of an understatement.<p>

Abby was _really_ annoyed. That better described it.

Currently she was changing into her gym outfit, a plain white polo shirt matched with dark green shorts, keeping a watchful eye on Ziva all the while. McGee, being the sweetheart he was had decided that he'd help Ziva find her feet in the school, and had so far been keeping tabs on her regularly, smiling reassuringly at her occasionally too. And Abby felt like the third wheel on a really lame date. A dead end date that was going nowhere, but was happening all the same. And she didn't like it, not one bit.

She may have only known Tim and his friends for four days, but she considered them _her_ friends now too, since they'd welcomed her so warmly into their group and everything. And some exchange student was not just going to barge in and take that from her, whether she meant to or not.

Unfortunately McGee had obviously taken quite a shine to Ziva, and that frustrated her immensely, feeling somewhat sidelined. Though she didn't wish to sound vain, she knew what she was feeling was jealousy, jealousy over not being the center of attention anymore. She liked it being just them, she felt she could be totally herself with him even after such a short time, whereas the new girl made her on edge, jumpy even. There was something in the way she held herself, the way she looked at people like she was calculating how best to rid herself of them, it just made her irritated, and she didn't like it. Everyone else had had different reactions to her really, Mcgee had welcomed her in his own way, Jimmy had looked slightly scared of her, and Abby had been - as previously expressed several times - annoyed.

"You are Abigail, right?" A voice came from behind her and she turned round on her heel, clutching her white trainers in her hand as she went to sit down on a bench dismissively.

"I prefer Abby." She replied, not even looking up at Ziva as she fumbled to ram her foot into the shoe, not really being bothered to loosen the laces first as she shoved her foot in with great force.

"Abby... I get the feeling you do not like me Abby." She stated in a calm way, like she was talking about a project or her weekend, something trivial.

"That's because I don't." She muttered under her breath as she pulled her other shoe on, vaguely noting that the gym wear was kind of cute, even if it was a bit bland at the same time.

"Pardon?" Ziva asked, slinging her hair up into a ponytail as Abby got to her feet, putting her own hair in two low plaits to keep it out of the way as best she could.

"Nothing." Abby replied curtly, thinking better of repeating it as she slammed her locker shut, turning round so she could lean back against it, desperately trying to fix her bangs with her hand, as she hadn't had time to straighten them earlier that morning.

"McGee is nice, is he not? He told me about you." Ziva said, making small talk as she tidied up her stuff, putting her belongings away in a locker that already looked far more orderly than Abbys.

"He did?" She said, a note of surprise coming through in her voice as she raised an eyebrow curiously, wondering what exactly she'd heard about her.

"Yes, good things though, do not worry." She responded with a seemingly genuine smile, closing her locker with far more care than Abby had. Merely nodding in response as her and the other girls made their way out into the gymnasium, Abby scanned the room looking for familiar faces, as being stuck with Ziva was the last thing she wanted. Noticing McGee and Palmer standing some way off she bounded over to them happily, hovering near them as the teacher addressed the room.

"I'm going to come round and number you, if you're a one go line up by the left wall, if you're a two go line up by the right wall. Got it?" The teacher said, ending with a rhetorical question as he started pointing and assigning numbers loudly. He was a well built man, with cropped black hair and a face that seemed to rarely ever smile. She was sure she'd only seen him smile once, and even then it had been more of a smirk.

"One!" A loud voice exclaimed near her ear and she startled back to reality, running to the left wall as fast as she could, narrowly avoiding tripping over her own feet in her shock. Turning so she could look around she observed everyone else as she leant against the wall, especially those lining up opposite her. Jimmy was standing with the other twos, and McGee was directly next to her on her right, looking somewhat nervous, of what she wasn't quite sure.

"Right, i'll recite the rules of Dodgeball for the benefit of our newer students." The teacher proclaimed, and suddenly Tims apparent nervousness clicked into place in her mind, mirroring her own. Dodgeball was not something she had really ever enjoyed, as having a ball hurtling towards you at great speed didn't really appeal to her, especially if it was thrown by someone you didn't like, that just made it all the more personal.

As he continued to recite the rules she already knew she scanned the opposite line again, looking for anyone she'd have to keep tabs on.  
>An unfamiliar boy with brown hair smiled at her broadly from afar, not an '<em>I'm going to get you<em>' smile, it appeared kinder than that, charming even, his shirt showing off his toned muscles as he ran a hand through his hair lazily. Feeling a slight flush come to her cheeks as she smiled back, she averted her gaze quickly, noting that Ziva and Tony were both on the opposite team. She would have said this was good except for the fact that they both appeared to be quite athletic, which would give their side a distinct advantage.

"Got that?" The teacher finished, mumbled answers and nods signalling that everyone understood. Turning her gaze to Tim she noticed his eyes were already on her, though he quickly looked away again as she smiled in a reassuring way.

The teacher walked out along the center line into the middle of the two teams, who had varying looks of enjoyment, nervousness or even panic across their faces as he held the 7 foam balls, intending to throw them in the air for the students to catch. Blowing the whistle that was hanging around his neck he threw all of them into the air, as pandamonium broke out all around Abby and McGee. Abby lunged forwards, managing to secure herself a ball with surprising ease as she ducked to dodge one thrown at her, missing by mere inches. Running to the side she threw a ball directly at Tony, groaning in frustration as he dodged it with not very surprising athleticism. However the real star of the show was Ziva, who was ducking and dodging them like her life depended on it, weaving in and out and generally managing to avoid everybody.

Jumping as another ball came at her she ran to grab one, throwing it underhand at the nearest person, who just happened to be the cute guy from earlier, smiling slightly as it hit him squarely in the leg. Hitting the decks as another one flew over her head she scrambled back up into a kneeling position, rolling out of the way of another ball and straight into the path of a second one, unfortunately for Abby. And even more unfortunately for her, it was aimed directly for her nose. Barely registering it before it hit her she let out a yelp of pain, the surprisingly hard foam colliding with her nose as she went to protect her face with her hands, alas too late.

A shrill whistle blew as she clumsily got to her feet, clutching her now painful nose.  
>As far as she could tell it wasn't bleeding which she was thankful for, but it still hurt like hell as McGee hurried over, helping her to her feet.<p>

"Abbs, are you alright?!" He asked, trying to move her hands away so he could see if it was bleeding or broken.

"I'm fine McGee." She replied, slowly lowering her hand from her surely bruised nose as she forced a smile onto her face despite the tears of pain that had pooled in her eyes without her consent.

"Come on, I'll take you to see the nur-" He began, starting to guide her off with a hand on her shoulder before the teacher intervened.

"McGee, back on the court!" He shouted, gesturing to the dodgeball area which was now apparently a 'court'.

"B-But sir, I -"

"No buts!" He said forcefully, as Tim was forced to leave Abby at the side of the court with an apologetic look, barely taking his eyes off her for more than a few seconds as he returned, Abby wiping at her eyes to clear her vision and rid herself of the few unwanted tears.

"Lily, you're back on! Max, go help Abigail." The man ordered, gesturing for the guy she recognized from earlier to go assist her. As play resumed he walked over to her from his seat on the sidelines, where he'd been watching intently since she'd taken him out.

"Abigail, right?" He asked her as he approached, managing to tower over her even at her height, his blue eyes contrasting nicely against his lightly tanned skin. He was conventionally handsome, and though she had to admit she didn't normally fall for the conventional there was something about him that made her heart beat just a little faster.

"Yeah, but you can call me Abby or Abbs, I don't mind." She replied with a flirtatious smile as he leaned in close to her face, so close she could feel his breath on her cheek as he tilted her face to the side slightly, looking at her nose.

"Well, Abbs, it doesn't appear to be broken, but you'll almost certainly end up with a nasty bruise. You should probably drop into the nurse's office if you have a minute." He said, and Abby found herself craving his touch again as he pulled back, gesturing for the two of them to sit down with a sweet smile as she obliged, sitting crosslegged next to him wordlessly.

"I'll be fine." She reassured after a moment, somewhat nervous of his close proximity as he placed a hand on her bare knee, squeezing it lightly as he smiled at her.

"I'm sure you will." He replied as she returned her eyes to the game, noticing that Tims eyes were trained directly on her and Max with what could only be described as a glare, though it changed into a small smile as he realised she was looking at him. _'Look ou-_' she started, barely managing to start her sentence as a ball collided with the side of his face, one he didn't even seem to try and dodge but definitely looked painful. In fact, it seemed like he wanted to get hit, but that wouldn't make any sense at all, so she let that thought go.

The teacher whistled again, calling it a foul as McGee made his way off the court, clutching the side of his face that had gone red as the ball had been thrown with quite some force. That meant another player who had previously been out got called back in, only four people left on his team now, the opposite group currently in the lead with six people left, Ziva and Tony included, who were both expertly weaving and ducking around the spherical objects that were flying towards them at all angles.

Glancing down at her lap she noticed that Max hadn't moved his hand, leaving it on top of her knee, causing her to blush slightly as she looked at him out of the corner of her eye, just to find he was already looking back at her.

"Hey Abbs, are you okay? That seemed to be nasty." A voice said, and she looked up at Timothy who had arrived in front of her, seemingly distracted as he kept glancing at Max, or more where his hand was still resting.

"Yeah, i'll be fine, don't worry." She said, patting the floor next to her for him to sit down.

"Are you sure? I mean-" He started, taking a seat beside her cautiously, his eyes still trained on Max with a growing look of irritation.

"I'll be fine, I promise. It's your face you should be worried about." She responded, a smile twitching at the corners of her lips at his concern.

"I'm alright." He said with a slight shrug as he smiled at her warmly, even though he appeared to wince as he did so.

"Hey, Max!" A voice called, and she turned her head, her breath hitching as she saw Tony walking directly towards the three of them casually, like he was approaching friends and not people he liked to push around.

"Oh, hey Tony!" He responded, his hand still not having left her leg as he used the other one to wave slightly, a smile crossing his face that she wasn't sure was even real, it was that... flawless. So, he was Tonys friend? That was interesting, since he seemed too sweet to hang around with someone like him if she was being bluntly honest.

"Hey Mcgeek." Tony said as he approached the group and specifically McGee, smirking a little as he sat down next to him. This conversation was surprisingly civil for Tony, at least in Abbys mind, which made her wonder if something hinky was going on. It wouldn't surprise her really, as the contrast between the way he was acting now and the way he'd been acting four days ago seemed quite odd and out of place.

"H-Hi Tony." He mumbled, staring down at the floor as he avoided his gaze just as he had done the last time.

"Has Lambert talked to you yet?" He asked, his eyes following the blurred form of Ziva who apparently hadn't tired yet, dodging and throwing with unnerving accuracy.

"N-no, is she g-going to?" He spluttered, obviously extremely nervous and put on edge by Tonys strangely civil behavior.

"She wants you to be my tutor. I said no, but you know how stubborn women can be." He muttered with a sigh, stretching the truth a bit. In reality he'd more just nodded and gone along with it, however it wouldn't reflect well on his reputation if he hadn't even made some sort of complaint.

"T-that's... nice." He said, openly confessing to himself that he had little idea what Tony meant by that statement. In reality - for him anyway - it had always depended on the woman, but he guessed now was not the time to point that out. Rubbing the back of his neck nervously he let his eyes flicker from the floor to Max's face as surreptitiously as he could. Tim didn't trust the guy, especially as his hand was still invading Abbys personal space, not that she seemed to mind... then again she was an affectionate person, she probably wouldn't unless the person really irritated her.

"Yeah, well it doesn't mean-" Tony started to mutter, jumping slightly as the whistle blew again, signalling the end of the game and effectively cutting him off.  
>It had been quite close, but in the end Zivas side had won, between her and her two remaining teammates she'd managed to pretty much wipe out the competition.<br>Tony honestly wasn't sure whether to be impressed or scared by this, so he settled on the former for lack of a better option.

"Team two win!" The teacher announced loudly, and the other students applauded politely as the team celebrated their victory rather loudly, all apart from Ziva who stood off to the side somewhat awkwardly. She was glancing around the room swiftly, as if she'd rather not be there, an almost lost kind of look in her eyes at the unfamiliar students and surroundings. Her eyes finally settling on Tim she smiled slightly, breaking away from the rest of her classmates and going over to the little group in a calm manner. She looked incredible for someone who had just been running around for a good half an hour, and Abby couldn't help but be a little jealous that she didn't look _that_ nice after gym herself.

"McGee, who are your friends?" She asked, only recognizing Abby and Tim out of the four that were sitting, varying expressions on each of their faces.

"Oh, Ziva, t-this is Max, and this is T-Tony." He stuttered, gesturing in their vague directions with obvious fear, like he half expected them to punch him right there and then.

"It is nice to meet you both." She said coolly, sensing that they weren't really his friends and more people who he didn't wish to anger by saying they weren't.

"The pleasure is all mine." Tony responded, grinning up at her in a flirtatious way as she stared blankly back at him, as if deciding how she should react. Deciding on smiling back some moments later she let the corners of her mouth curve upwards slightly, lingering in front of him as the teacher started to say something she wasn't paying attention to.

"Indeed." Ziva agreed playfully, looking back over her shoulder at the teacher, who was shouting about doing laps out on the track since it was good weather out and the sun was shining, just like it had been for a couple of weeks, much to Abbys annoyance since it required her to carry around a parasol practically all the time. She half wondered if she could claim her nose hurt too much to run, but somehow she doubted it'd wash with him.

* * *

><p>"Enter!" Miss Lambert proclaimed, marking papers in a tired fashion.<p>

"Ah, Tim, take a seat." She said, not even needing to look up from her work to know who it was. She _had_ been expecting him after all.

"...I heard you wanted me to tutor Tony." He said after a long moments silence where he was obviously meant to speak, sitting down in the desk chair nearest to her gingerly.

"News travels fast, doesn't it? Yes, that is what i'd like you to do." She said, clicking the top of her pen as she laid it down on the desk, looking up and meeting his eyes as she focused.

"I-i'm not sure if you know, but me and Tony don't r-really get on very well." He stated nervously, fidgeting in the seat he'd selected as he looked around anxiously, wondering if anyone was listening in apart from Abby, who he knew to be waiting for him in the corridor.

"Did it ever occur to you that's why I chose you?" She said with a small smile, tilting her head to the side slightly as she raised her eyebrows curiously, trying to gauge his reaction.

"What?" He asked, furrowing his brow in confusion. Why would she have selected him because they didn't get on? That would just be a recipe for disaster, she of all people should know that.

"I didn't just choose you because you're top of the class Timothy... Tony needs a friend. I mean a real friend, not the kind he hangs around with, and I think if you two actually spent some time together you'd realise you're both better than the other thought." She said, chewing on her lip in a way that distinctly reminded him of Abby.

"You know who he hangs out with?" He asked, intrigued. He'd always rather assumed that teachers didn't pay that much attention to the friendships and relationships of all the different students outside of lessons, but maybe he was wrong.

"I'm not blind Tim, i'm fully aware of the sort of people he associates with." She said bluntly, laughing quietly at his bemused expression.

"W-why do you think he'd ever be friends with me though? He's picked on m-me since I was twelve." He said, running a hand through his hair anxiously.

"Because you're a nice kid. And I think he's a nice kid too, really. He's just been a bit... misled in life." She responded simply, resting her elbows on the desk as she spoke, running the fingers of one hand through her loose, wavy hair, mirroring him.

"I trust you'll try your best." She said after a long pause, swivelling her chair around so she could stand up, walking over to the whiteboard, effectively dismissing him. Getting to his feet he slowly made his way to the door, looking forwards to spending a little more time with Abby without _him_ watching their every move. Tim had been pretty annoyed at the whole situation, though he'd tried not to let it show. He wasn't sure why exactly, he just felt a distinct twinge when Max had interacted with her, a possessiveness almost.

_A friend to Tony though?_ That isn't what he'd expected Miss Lambert to ask of him at all, and he honestly wasn't sure it was even possible. Being Tony DiNozzos friend? More like Tims worst nightmare.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, here was chapter 3! I know you all probably hate me because of Max, and if you don't I must have done it wrong. xD Thanks for everyones input into which lines you all liked BTW, that was helpful! If you guys could continue telling me your favourite lines or sections if you decide to review that would be awesome, and would make me very happy. :)**

**On another note, i'm honestly not sure how I felt about this chapter, i've rewritten it approximately three times and each time I haven't quite liked how it's turned out... I think it's because I find Ziva and Tony a bit more difficult to write about, since i'm imagining them as teenagers, trying to keep them in character (which I find more difficult than with Abby and Tim), and juggling plot required OCs at the same time. xD So basically, I hope it was alright! **

**See you next time! :3**


	4. Black Baccara

**A/N: Hey again everyone! Though i'm sure you all already know that I seriously appreciate all of you readers, reviewers, favouriters, and followers i'm going to say thanks again, because why not, right? x3 So again, thanks to all of you, especially TivaJelloGSR and mcgeeksgirl (The two of you are seriously great for reviewing practically every chapter!), and ed13. If I understood your review correctly you use google translate to read this story, so if that is the case I hope it still reads alright despite the language change. :) Anyway, on with the show!**

**Disclaimer: I'm running out of witticisms for theses disclaimers, so, uh... I don't own NCIS, as if I did McAbby would have been canon long ago. There, not witty, but to the point, right? xD**

* * *

><p>"I give up." Tony sighed with frustration, slamming his notebook down onto the table with an unneeded amount of force as he went to rest his head in his hands.<p>

"Come on Tony, you've only got two more paragraphs to do." Tim coaxed, pushing the notebook gently back in front of him as he tried to look at his face. They were currently in the process of Tonys fifth tutoring session, and he had been making great progress all things considered. Tim had always had an inkling that Tony might actually have been intelligent if he tried, and he was for once being proved right. They were on their third week of tutoring now, and though things hadn't changed much on the surface with regards to their relationship, he felt sure he'd detected a slight shift in the way that Tony acted around him and the others.

"That's easy for you to say McWriter, but that's two more paragraphs I have to fill when I have nothing left to write!" He moaned loudly, looking up with tired eyes at McGee, who was pushing the dark blue notebook at him insistently.

"Can't you think of anything more to tell your younger self? Y-you must have made mistakes sometimes, I mean, not that i'm assuming you did or a-anything, you probably didn't, but maybe-" He said, the sentence jumbling together as he hopelessly tried to backtrack, fear crossing his face as he shuffled backwards slightly, almost falling out of his chair in his panic.

"Quit it McGoo." He said disparagingly, not really up to taunting the poor boy quite yet as he rested his forehead against the desk, exhausted from the energy it was requiring to study and keep up his DiNozzo antics throughout the day.

Though they'd known each other, or more known _of_ each other for years this was only the fifth time they'd properly conversed, and to their shared surprise they'd managed to learn quite a bit about each other during that time. Tony had learnt about just how skittish Tim could be amongst other things, and Tim had learnt that Tony wasn't quite the ladykiller he made himself out to be.

"R-right Tony, I mean DiNozzo, I-" He agreed, Tonys irritable sigh making him stop short of finishing that train of thought.

"Shut up!" He practically shouted in frustration, looking up at a startled Mcgee as he got to his feet, grabbing his notebook and shoving it down into his backpack along with his pen angrily. Normally Tony would poke fun at him and generally try to avoid doing the work as much as he could, though he eventually seemed to get it done with Tims gentle encouragement. However, this particular session he'd been on edge, tense, looking like he was just about on his last nerve as he scribbled out a few paragraphs on what he would like to have told his younger self. It had been what Tim was expecting really, talking about '_asking out that hot girl freshmen year_', and '_never avoiding games of seven minutes in heaven_', and yet there had been a darker undertone too, talking about not fearing failure and letting any insecurities get to him. '_I don't have any now McNosy_' had been Tonys short reply as he didn't even look up from his work, but Tim had sensed that there had been something hinky about that particular statement, even if he hadn't pressed it further.

"Emily's waiting." Tony stated simply as he turned his back on Tim, heading for the door out of the ICT room they were currently situated in. McGee could vaguely place Emily in his mind, a pretty cheerleader if he remembered correctly, with a blonde bob and a stature that was more on the diminutive side.

"Tony, you need to finish this before tomorrow..." He called after him quietly, not at all surprised when Tony didn't even look round to acknowledge he'd heard him at all.

"Why does it matter to you? You'll get a good grade regardless." He responded sharply, pausing as he reached the crimson painted door.

"That's not... the point." Timothy mumbled to an empty room as Tony left in a hurry, slamming the door behind him with a resounding bang that practically shook the room.

* * *

><p>Tony stormed down the hall, pushing past students that didn't have the sense to get out of his way in time. He'd lied quite well to McGee if he was being truthful, Emily wasn't waiting for him, in fact he was pretty sure she'd transferred to another school some weeks back, but that was beside the point right now. Something was bugging him that he couldn't shift, and he knew exactly what it was. Or more, who.<p>

It had been a while now, and however hard he'd tried, Ziva was barely even registering his presence anymore than any of the other students she talked to occasionally. He'd even started to hang around near her when she was hanging out with Tim and Abby, both of whom he'd come onto okay terms with as he tried to catch her attention in some way. He, Tim and Abby... were far from friends, but they were past acquaintances with each other. What that made them all as a whole he wasn't quite sure.

He'd been playing up his distaste to the others of course, poking regular fun at the 'goth chick' as Max had so aptly called her all those weeks ago, and pushing around McGee as he would normally. He wasn't going to lie to himself though, deep down he knew he kind of enjoyed their company in a strange kind of way, a feeling he hated and yet loved at the same time. It wasn't like how he enjoyed his fellow jocks company, it was different, truer if he had to choose a word to describe it. McGee was still scared of him to a large degree which was understandable really, and Abby didn't take kindly to the perverted comments he and the others had sent her way either. As for Ziva, she'd remained pretty cool towards him, smiling politely and occasionally offering forth her opinion when he required it. But, cool isn't what he wanted. He wanted warmth, or at least some kind of acknowledgement past '_Oh, hello_' whenever he tried to engage her in some sort of conversation.

"Oomph!" A muffled voice exclaimed suddenly as he managed to slam into someone, catching their distinctly feminine arm to stop them from falling over. He may be labelled a jerk, but he didn't want to add cold or heartless to that little list that he was sure someone, somewhere was compiling. It wasn't exactly a secret that he didn't get along with numerous amounts of students, and he wouldn't be at all surprised if he was categorized as any of the things he'd mentioned.

Looking downwards at the person in front of him, he was somewhat taken by surprise to see wide green orbs staring directly back at him, framed by a few black strands of hair that had managed to work their way loose of their bobble confines.

"Abby?" He queried, releasing her arm as her expression changed from startled to neutral, looping the fingers of one hand through her backpack strap in a collected manner.

"Oh, Tony. Hi!" She replied politely, an uncertain smile flitting across her face, like she wasn't sure if this was how she was meant to react or not. The thing is, Abby didn't want to get in his way, especially since Tony still seemed to regard her as little more than the 'hyper goth girl' he occasionally conversed with.

"Where are you going?" He asked curiously, since it seemed she'd been quite a hurry from what he could tell, otherwise she surely would have noticed and probably given him a wide berth.

"Well, it _is_ free period, so i'm going to see Timmy." She responded confidently, her smile broadening to a grin as she kind of hovered about in front of him, like she was ready to take off and away at a moments notice.

"Hey Abbs..." He started, using the affectionate nickname that was normally reserved for her close friends as he struggled to chose what to say, her face becoming intrigued at the way he was addressing her. It was the first time he'd ever called her that, and that had most definitely piqued her interest.

"Yes..?" She asked just as he abruptly lunged for her arm, gripping it firmly and pulling her down the crowded corridor as she struggled to free herself from his grip, the other students studiously avoiding and ignoring them. Looking around hurriedly as she struggled against him he spotted a seemingly vacant classroom with the door ajar, so he veered into it with her still in tow, stumbling through quickly.

"Tony, stop!" She exclaimed in an irate tone, shaking her arm out of his now slack grip angrily as he closed the door, checking no one else was listening in as his eyes darted around the room to make sure they were alone.

"Sorry Abby, but, you're friends with Ziva and..." He started, actually a little nervous for the first time in a long,_ long_ time. Tony 'Sex Machine' DiNozzo didn't just ask girls for advice, it wasn't his style. He was expected to know all the answers already, and for the most part, and with most girls, he did. But Ziva was confusing him, she was unlike any girl he'd ever come across, and quite frankly that made him a little on edge.

"...Yeah, I guess you could say that." She responded after a long pause, raising her eyebrows expectantly as she waited for him to elaborate, sitting down on a desk and tapping her fingers against the tabletop in a repetitive rhythm. Abby wasn't exactly friends with Ziva, more acquaintances that tolerated each other as far as he could tell, but she was the closest he could get without asking Tim, and that was out of the question as he knew that Ziva could easily get it out of him.

"I want to ask her to prom." He stated bluntly, Abbys eyes widening in surprise. Ziva must really be bugging him for him to actually come to her for advice, let alone on a topic she was sure he knew best. It would make sense as to why he'd dragged her there though, since Tony wasn't the type of guy to pull girls into classrooms, not without their consent anyway.

"Prom?" She queried curiously, swinging her legs as she fidgeted, inwardly wishing she'd made it to the Caf-Pow! machine before she was so rudely accosted.

"You mean you haven't heard?" He said as a flash of mischief crossed his face, a goodnatured smirk curling at the corners of his lips.

"Well yeah, but I thought it was for Seniors." She said carefully, furrowing her brow as she gazed at him.

"Juniors _and_ Seniors." He said like this was the best thing he'd ever heard, the mischievous look remaining on his face as he caught a look at her enthusiastic expression.

"Oh, that's great!" She replied with evident excitement, smiling a smile that seemed to light up her eyes.

"Got anyone in mind?" He pried, and he soon realised it was a mistake as she visibly started to deflate, like a balloon losing all it's air.

"Well, there's this one guy, but I don't think he'll ask me." She said after a long moments silence, avoiding his eyes as she smoothed down her skirt to distract herself. _Because he's super popular and one of your friends_, Abby added on in her mind with a silent sigh.

"He might do." He countered with an awkward shrug, unsure as to how to react or console her. Abby was a pretty girl, he wasn't going to deny that, and he was kind of surprised that she had any trouble when it came to guys. He finally settled on patting her on the shoulder in a brief act of comfort, since they weren't exactly friends, but they weren't acquaintances either, sort of stuck in the middle in an odd way.

"So, Ziva?" She asked as she looked up into his eyes, her signature happy smile back on her face as if it had never left, though he felt there was an underlying layer to it he couldn't quite see or place.

"You know her better than I do, and I thought you might know if anyone else had asked her yet." He confessed, playing it off like he was mildly concerned but not that bothered by if she already had a date or not. In reality it was the total opposite, but he'd be damned if he ever admitted it.

"No, not yet." She responded with a playful wink, nudging him in the side with her elbow as she stood up, smirking all the while. He still felt something was off about the way she was acting, but he dismissed the thought from his mind, realising he hardly knew her well enough to make judgements.

"This stays between us, alright?" He said with a slightly anxious edge to his voice that he failed to repress, taking a step closer to her as she merely continued to smirk in response.

"I have to get going." She responded after a couple of agonizingly long moments for Tony, heading for the door that led back out into the bustling corridor.

"Oh, and Tony?" She asked as she opened the door, turning to look back over her shoulder at him.

"...Good luck." She finished with a smile, stepping out of the classroom and disappearing into the crowds with a distinctive spring in her step.

* * *

><p>Little had Abby or Tony known, but a very similar conversation had been taking place in the ICT room at the exact same time, except this time shared between Ziva and Tim instead.<p>

"You are asking me for advice?" Ziva had queried in surprise, raising an eyebrow as she sat next to Timothy, who was talking to her while his fingers flew over the keyboard with only the occasional pause, doing what she wasn't entirely sure as he wouldn't let her see.

"W-well, you're a girl and everything, so I-I thought..." He said nervously, barely taking his eyes off the screen, possibly out of fear of her reaction or possibly because whatever he was doing was particularly interesting. She hazarded a guess at it being the former.

"I am surprised you hadn't noticed that." She joked with a smirk, running her fingers through her hair lazily in an attempt to tame its loose curls that were refusing to cooperate.

"What would you do?" He asked with a sigh, his fingers hesitating above the keyboard as he turned to look at her with wide, anxious eyes.

"I would just ask her. If you're sure it is only a friendly arrangement and not a date then it should be simple." She said, tilting her head to the side curiously, analyzing his facial expressions.

"You would think that, wouldn't you?" He said quietly, frustrated that he was getting this worked up about a simple dance. God, he wasn't even asking her out romantically and yet it felt like he was asking for her hand in marriage... it really had become that blown out of proportion in his head.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She pressed with a dangerous edge to her voice, folding her arms across her chest indignantly as she eyed him.

"O-oh no, I didn't mean like that, I meant-"

"Just because we did not have prom in my country doesn't mean I am completely unknowledgeable." She stated simply, her expression hardening.

"I... I just don't want her to take it the wrong way." He confessed after a moment in which her expression had started to soften, sensing he meant no harm. Ziva had to suppress a laugh at his naive words though, something she was thankfully very good at doing as concealing her feelings was pretty much her forte.

"Do you not mean the _right_ way?" She asked with a smirk, causing Tims ears to redden slightly even in the dim lighting, a dead giveaway if she'd ever saw one.

"N-no, I meant the wrong way." He clarified hastily, focusing back on his computer.

Tim hadn't realised asking Abby to prom would be so difficult, so... _scary_. From what he'd gathered it was meant to be one of the biggest nights of a girls high school life, so why would she want to share it with him? He'd wanted to ask her as one friend to another, not as a date as Ziva kept pointing out, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to find a way to do it without giving her the wrong idea. It wasn't that she wasn't beautiful and he wouldn't want to go on a date with her, he just also knew that in her mind the relationship was pretty much entirely platonic. He didn't like her like that, he was pretty sure of that, and yet just the thought of someone else asking her made his stomach lurch queasily. Why did he feel like this? Why did he really care anyway? It wasn't like Abby was his possession, she could do whatever she liked... but he still didn't like the thought of her going with someone else, not one bit.

"If you say so." She responded, the smirk still fixed on her lips as the door was flung open, a very chuffed looking Abby entering through it, a grin lighting up her face.

"Hey Timmy! Hi Ziva." She announced, her face falling slightly at the sight of Ziva, but only ever so slightly. Infact Ziva wouldn't even have noticed, had it not been for her exceptionally sharp observation skills.

"Abbs!" He exclaimed jumpily, looking sufficiently shifty as he looked up at her with a start. _Wow, he really is a terrible liar,_ Ziva thought, almost giggling at his reaction, though once again putting her blank expression into play instead of her true reaction so as to spare his feelings and not arouse Abbys suspicions.

"Abby." Ziva acknowledged with a nod of her head, tidying up her belongings a little from where she'd been completing her Spanish homework as she kept glancing furtively between the two of them, allowing a small smirk to curl at the corners of her lips.

"What'cha doing?" Abby asked, the gleeful smile still on her face as she bounded towards them, leaning over McGees shoulder to try and get a peek at what he was working on, seemingly oblivious to Zivas amusement and McGees shiftiness.

"Nothing much." He said in a decidedly secretive tone, blocking the computer from her view with his body as he hurried to turn the computer off, his hands mashing on the keyboard as he fumbled while still trying to block her eager gaze.

"Aaaw, come on Timmy, I wanna see!" She said, shoving him to the side lightly to get a look, disappointment taking over her features as she was greeted with a black screen.

"Spoilsport." She muttered childishly, folding her arms with a faint huffing sound as she scowled at Tim, who had now turned around in his chair to look at her.

"I suppose you won't get to hear the gossip I just heard then." She teased lightly after a moment of silence, smirking at a suddenly interested looking Ziva and an equally intrigued looking McGee.

"I would like to." Ziva spoke up, twisting around in her seat as well so she could rest her arms on the back of the chair, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

"Well..." She started, as if deciding whether to play with them a little longer or just tell them.

"A little bird told me that our _favourite_ jock might be asking Ziva to prom." She said in a stage whisper, winking mischievously at their confused faces that seemed to mirror each other, her excitement obviously having got the better of messing with them.

"You mean Tony?" Tim said as his eyes widened, suddenly very interested. He had noticed the jock sending quite a few lingering looks at Ziva come to think of it, but since he checked out every girl with a pulse he hadn't really thought much of it.

"Who else would I mean?" She replied rhetorically with a smile, before turning to a now totally blank looking Ziva.

"So, are you going to accept?!" She asked with an excitable edge to her voice, locking eyes with the Israeli. Their relationship was still strained, but after a certain conversation with Tim she was trying her best to be civil to her, - for his sake more than anything - and Ziva seemed to have had much the same idea. Abby wasn't exactly happy with the arrangement, but they could tolerate each other, and for now that was the best they could do.

"We shall see." She responded cryptically, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she turned away, picking up her khaki backpack as the school bell chimed, as if on cue.

"Are you or aren't you?" Abby whined, desperate to know before the entirety of the school body did.

"What do they say? Ah yes, none of your earwax." She said as she stood up, and Abby couldn't suppress the snicker that escaped her mouth as she looked away, not really even trying to cover up the fact she was laughing. After all, she didn't have to be _that_ nice to her, not all the time anyway.

"What?" Ziva queried, her brow furrowing in confusion as she looked at Abby and McGee in turn, obviously expecting answers.

"It's, uh, beeswax Ziva, not earwax." Tim responded helpfully, doing somewhat of a better job at hiding his amusement than Abby was as he also got to his feet, sending her a warning look to which she just stuck her tongue out in a childlike fashion.

"Oh." Ziva stated simply, not at all bothered by Abbys reaction as she was far more taken up with what she'd been told as she headed for the door. It wasn't that Ziva disliked Abby - she didn't - but they didn't exactly seem to get on very well, and she got the feeling Abby didn't like change much. However what she had said was very interesting to Ziva, and she couldn't help but let a small smile creep onto her face as she exited the room, moving through the throngs of students as she made her way towards US History.

_Tony wanted to ask her to prom? _It hadn't been what she was expecting, she hadn't even been sure she was going to go in the first place considering she didn't know that many people, but this... changed things. Dances weren't exactly her thing mind, she'd had to get Timothy to explain what was so important about it after she heard a group of cheerleaders discussing it, throwing around the names of those they'd like to ask them rather loudly. Tonys name had been mentioned a few times, and as she walked down the corridor she noticed him leaning by a row of lockers, smirking at her slightly as she walked past. She'd brushed it off at the time as it was his typical behavior around her and every other skirt wearing being within a fifty mile radius, but now she was starting to have second thoughts.

_Maybe this dance could be more interesting than she originally thought..._

* * *

><p>Sitting in his regular abode of the ICT room, Timothy Mcgee sat at his computer desk, his head in his hands as he sighed lightly. Gazing once more at the single black rose beside him he picked it up, twirling it through his fingers carefully as he tried to straighten out his thoughts.<p>

During his conference with Ziva he'd been racking his brains to think of some way he could tell Abby, some way that he could - as Ziva had said - '_just ask her_'. _Flowers_ he'd thought mid-conversation, she liked flowers, or at least she'd expressed her like of them several times before. It was the perfect accompaniment to the question, so he'd been straight on the internet, searching for a shop that would deliver some to him. He'd finally found one a little while later, paying an arm and a leg to get the single rose delivered to his house the very next morning, coming close to being caught by both Ziva and Abby in quick succession while he was buying it. Then again, a black rose wasn't something you could just walk into your local florists to buy. It wasn't actually a true black come to think of it, more a very deep red, but it was the closest he could get without buying a fake, and with a name like _Black Baccara_ it at least sounded the part.

He didn't want to give Abby the wrong idea though, but then again it was meant to be one of the biggest days of a girls high school life, and he didn't want to seem like he hadn't made an effort at all. The rose hadn't actually bloomed yet, the petals curled delicately around themselves protectively, it's thornless stem gliding easily through his fingertips.

"Hey Timmy!" A voice called from the doorway, and he looked up startled, shoving the rose back in its box in an attempt to hide it from her view.

"Did you hear, did you hear?! Tony asked Ziva out to prom and she said yes! Everyone was really shocked she agreed, it was all anyone was talking about all the way through Spanish! I wonder if she actually likes him? I mean, even for Tony it was really romantic, and-" She blurted out excitedly, barely pausing between sentences as she fought to get her thought process into coherent words, gesticulating wildly as she spoke.

"Abby, you're babbling again." He said with an amused smile, carefully hiding the box under the desk he was seated at as she bounded over to him, barely managing to contain her obvious excitement.

"Oh, sorry, it was just so_ romantic, _and cute!" She said with a wide grin that brightened up her wide eyes, almost akin to the look a child would sport on christmas morning.

"Who are you going to invite Tim?" She asked completely out of the blue, catching him off guard as his face took on a look of surprise, her grin still planted firmly on her face, practically stretching from ear to ear.

"Oh, uh, I-I... don't know." He finished, mentally kicking himself for his timid nature. _Say it McGee!_ He tried to force himself, not sure why he was getting so tongue tied about it. Then again, she really did seem to have that effect on him recently.

"Nobody you've got your eye on? Really?" She pressed, perching on the edge of his desk next to the computer , swinging her legs back and forth in an almost childlike fashion as she happily sipped her fifth Caf-Pow! of the morning.

"W-well, I was wondering, if you would... maybe... I mean-" He stuttered, feeling his cheeks flush in embarrassment as she tilted her head to the side curiously, narrowing her deep green eyes as her grin dropped to more of a confused line.

"Spit it out Mcgee." She demanded, placing her Caf-Pow! down gently beside her as she realised something was definitely up.

Leaning down he drew a deep breath as his hands delved under the desk, clasping his fingers around the small display box. Picking it up he straightened back up, making eye contact with her once more as he placed the box gently on her lap with surprisingly steady hands.

"I-I... I was wondering, if you would maybe... got to prom with me? I mean as friends, not like a date, I don't want you to get the wrong idea, I mean not that I wouldn't want to go on a date with you, but..." He trailed off after his question, watching as her face visibly dropped, her expression going from confused to upset almost instantaneously, her eyes downcast and evasive as she attempted to compose herself.

"I'm sorry Tim, but... someone else has already asked me." She explained slowly, like she was taking considerable time to make sure she worded it the best way she possibly could. McGees heart plummeted into his stomach at this, forcing himself to smile a warm smile that was so obviously fake anyone could have seen through it, however hard he tried to make it real looking.

"Oh, that's... nice. Who?" He asked in an equally slow tone, also taking his time with his choice of words as he struggled to appear happy for her, which he was ultimately failing at.

"Max Simons." She stated after a long moment of silence, so long he started to wonder if she'd even heard his question at all, her eyes somewhat vacant looking as she looked into the middle distance for some time.

"Oh." He repeated again, nodding slightly in acceptance. He'd just been rejected by someone he hadn't even asked on a date. That had to be some sort of new low for him, he was sure of it.

"The rose, you can still have it." He mumbled dejectedly, gesturing to the still unopened box that lay on her bare legs. Looking down at it curiously she tentatively pulled the lid off, not managing to contain the gasp that escaped her lips when she saw the single rose lying inside the white satin interior, a thick red bow tied around its stem in ribbon, just under the bud.

"McGee, it's beautiful... You know I can't accept this." She whispered softly, looking up at him with big eyes as she gently picked it up out of the box, admiring it to it's full extent as she twirled it around in her fingers.

"Keep it." He said softly but bluntly, trying his best to get rid of the pang in his chest, something he couldn't quite place. He should have known that she would already have been asked, she was definitely pretty enough to catch many guys attentions. _He should've known that of all people..._

"But, I-" She started with the same wide eyed expression, but he cut her off, knowing she'd just keep objecting if he let her. _He wanted her to have it_, it wasn't like he had anybody else to give it to anyway, and the look of wonder that had crossed her face when she saw it had made Tims mind up for him anyway.

"Keep it." He repeated once more, smiling in a wan way as he reached forwards to her outstretched palm as she tried to give it back to him, taking her fingers in his as he curled them back around the delicate flower.

Gazing into his eyes she slowly nodded in understanding, not breaking eye contact until the last moment as she slowly leant in towards him, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. He flushed quite noticeably at this, knowing for sure that she'd of left a deep purple lipstick mark there.

"Thank you Timmy." She said with a small, almost sad smile, placing the rose back in the box before slowly getting off the desk, picking up her Caf-Pow! as she hesitated by him for a minute, as if unsure if she should stay or not. Deciding against it she turned her back to him, beating a retreat as she made her way away from him.

"Hey Abby?" He called after her just as she reached the door and she twirled back on her heel to look at him, her facial expression somewhat despondent.

"You do know Max is Jacks older brother, right?" He asked cautiously, knowing he was probably treading on thin ice as her expression changed from that of upset to perplexed.

"Yeah, what difference does it make?" She asked in an inquisitive tone, raising her eyebrows expectantly, her free hand still curled around the metal door handle.

"W-well, It was just that you should be careful since-"

"Bad behavior doesn't run in their family McGee! Just because Jack is a bully doesn't mean Max is." She defended, cutting him off with a serious look firmly planted on her face, folding her arms across her chest defensively as she saw what exactly he was getting at.

"I know, but if Jack is anything to-"

"I don't think you do know! All have you know Max is sweet and kind, unlike Jack. Why are you so bothered anyway?" She said in a practical shout, stalking back over to him purposefully until she was right in front of him, nose to nose now that he'd stood up, her eyes locking with his own wavering gaze.

_Why?_ McGee wasn't entirely sure why he felt so strongly about it, about _her_ really, but one thing he did know for sure was that the Simmons family was bad news if he'd ever seen it.

"Abby, you... you're important to me... I just don't want you to get hurt." He said as he steadied his gaze, watching as her eyes softened a little, her posture loosening as she let out a faint sigh that he probably wouldn't have noticed had he not been observing her intently.

"I'll be fine Tim, trust me. Max is a nice guy, plus I really can take care of myself." She said as she gave him a look that was pretty soft but convincing, holding his gaze earnestly.

"I... I guess so." He responded reluctantly, breaking the intense eye contact after another few moments of silence, leaning down to pick up his backpack, noticing her feet slowly moving away as he did so, her soft footsteps echoing in his ears.

Stifling a sigh, he didn't bother to get up from his crouching position for some moments, feeling the crushing feeling of rejection weighing heavy on his heart. He didn't even know why he was so disappointed, it wasn't like it would of had any romantic connotations anyway, not that he would of wanted it to. _Or would he?_ He honestly didn't know anymore, his mind was so confused, so... tangled.

One thing he did know for certain though, prom night was definitely going to be an _interesting_ one.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, there we have it! Once again, maybe let me know what your favourite section or line was if you choose to review (It'd make me very happy if you did!), and i'll see you all next time. :)**


	5. Promenade Preparations

**A/N: Hey everybody! Thanks once more to everyone who's reading this, and specifically ncismcabbyfan101, mcgeeksgirl, Mavis Scarlet, maddie nicole, TivaJisbonGSR, and ed13! :3**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own NCIS, The Godfather, The Shining, or in fact anything other than the OCs and scenarios. :3**

* * *

><p>"You're not going to prom?" Jimmy asked in disbelief, raising his eyebrows at McGee, who wasn't really all that surprised at his reaction.<p>

"No, it's not like I have anyone to go with anyway." He responded in a despondent mumble, barely looking up from his typewriter as he typed out a fast, repetitive rhythm.

"Aw man, Abby rejected you?" Jimmy said, his voice pitying as he reclined further back on Tim's bed, staring at the posters on the walls. It wasn't like he hadn't been around to his house before, but this time it was different, considering Tim's parents were out of town for the day. Actually, that was probably the only reason he'd got to come over at all, since he knew for a fact that John and Lucy McGee didn't exactly like him all that much.

"I..I didn't get rejected Palmer, I wasn't asking her out." He replied after a small hesitation, and Jimmy knew he was walking on eggshells at this point, considering it was a rarity for McGee to use his last name unless he was angered or frustrated. Which one he was currently, Palmer couldn't be sure.

"Oh! Yeah, of course." He responded almost too hastily, trying to backtrack, and fast at that.

"You're going then?" Tim asked after a moment of silence, the repetitive sound of fingertips tapping typewriter keys the only thing filling the lengthy gaps in their conversation.

"Yeah, I mean why not? It'll be fun." He replied, a smile creeping onto his face as he tried to convince his friend. McGee could be very stubborn at times, he knew that, but he would find it easier to have another friend going stag with him, as the prospect of many couples on mass scared him a little more than he'd care to admit.

"Why don't you come with us? Abby's going, and so is Ziva, it would be sad to miss out on the biggest night of your life!" Jimmy enthused some moments of silence later, shuffling into a sitting position on the bed as he made eye contact with Tim, who had ceased typing and was now looking at him through dangerously narrowed eyes.

"I don't think a dance will be the biggest night of my life." He responded after a few more moments of unnerving quiet, in which Jimmy was starting to regret even mentioning the whole affair.

"What are you going to do instead? Play xbox and eat corn kernels?" He pressed hesitantly, realising he was too far in to back out now, however much he may want to. The worst that could happen would be that he was asked to leave, since Tim was no Jack or Tony, so at this point he really had nothing to lose.

"Sounds pretty good to me." Tim replied with a half hearted shrug, sighing despairingly as he spun around in his chair to face a now devious looking Palmer.

"Abby'll wonder why you didn't go." He said with a smirk, knowing exactly how to push his buttons. Abby seemed to be a bit of a taboo subject for McGee recently, and though he wasn't sure why, he did know that if Abby even mentioned needing help with something Tim would be there in a flash, so she obviously meant something to him. What, he wasn't quite sure yet, though he had his theories.

"Well, I... ugh, fine." Tim muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible as he let his gaze drop to the now suddenly highly interesting carpet.

"What?" Jimmy said with evident shock seeping through into his voice, arching his eyebrows in surprise. He hadn't actually expected that to work for even a second, so he was pretty chuffed with himself to say the least.

"I said fine." He grumbled through gritted teeth, once again spinning round in his chair, the sound of typewriter keys filling the air once more.

"Great! Who needs a date to have fun, right?" He enthused, grinning widely and chuckling slightly at his own words, grateful that somebody else would be dateless there. It wasn't that he couldn't have got a date if he tried, okay, maybe it was, but he hadn't really bothered trying because he wasn't particularly interested in most of the girls that attended Bleakwood anyway. Most of them thought he was a bit weird, and the others probably already had plans. Basically, he decided going stag and keeping his dignity intact was the best option he could choose.

"Palmer." Tim said, twisting to look at him over his shoulder with a warning glare. It was actually quite frightening coming from McGee, who hadn't even ceased typing, despite the fact that he wasn't even looking at the keys anymore.

"Oh, right, i'll... I might.. I'll just stop now." He stammered out, withering under McGees hardened stare.

* * *

><p><em>The day of prom.<em>

That was taking a while to sink in for Abby, who had been drifting through the morning in a very distracted fashion, like a lot of the other students, especially the Juniors. She'd picked her outfit as soon as she'd been asked by Max, conferring with him to make sure that they matched as much as possible, right down to the last button.

Max was... _sweet_, and a real gentleman it seemed, holding doors open for her as she passed through and generally being charming, unlike his younger counterpart. She was still unsure of what McGee had got so het up about, Jack was still being the crude excuse for a human being he was, but his brother was different, and she wasn't sure why he couldn't accept that. In fact, he'd come to treat her quite oddly on the two weeks leading up to prom, being quite protective over her in a way she wasn't used to, from any guy come to think of it. He never explicitly mentioned that he disapproved of her interest in Max, but she could tell by the looks Tim kept sending Max when they were together that he wasn't at all pleased. She and Max hadn't even been on a date yet, not really, though they had hung around a lot during school hours. Abby wasn't actually sure she liked him like that yet either, he definitely did make her heart pound, but that was just his looks, not his actual personality, and she wasn't one to judge someone purely on looks.

Speaking of relationships, Tony and Ziva had been acting much like they had before which was surprising, in fact she'd go as far to say that their relationship hadn't really changed at all. According to Ziva and the odd conversation she may or may not have been listening in on, they hadn't really spoken about it being a date at all. It was kind of laying unspoken between them, a topic neither of them really wanted to broach.

"Hey, Abby!" A voice called as a hand waved in front of her face, and she snapped back into reality with a jump, realising she'd probably been staring at her food for the past few minutes completely blankly, as it lay there untouched in front of her.

"What, what?!" She exclaimed loudly, her eyes darting around wildly, her low bunches whipping around her face.

"I was asking you about your lovely _prom date._" Ziva said with a playful smile, tilting her head to the side curiously, her neat ponytail hanging over one shoulder.

"...You already know everything about him Ziva." Abby fired back curtly after a moments silence, taking a large gulp of the Caf-Pow! she'd been neglecting over the past few minutes when she'd obviously zoned out.

"Well, I heard he is particularly good at baseball? You did not tell me that." She responded in a questioning tone, which in turn made Abby furrow her brow in confusion. As far as she was aware he was the quarterback of the football team, in fact she'd gone to cheer for him during their last game a few weeks ago, she was sure of it. If he did play baseball, he certainly hadn't mentioned it to her.

"Huh?" Was her simple response, tray of food forgotten as she looked at Ziva, quite perplexed.

"Well, I overheard a couple of cheerleaders talking about how good he was at different bases?" Ziva said slowly, Abby's eyes widening to an almost inhuman level as she managed to spray Caf-Pow out of her mouth and halfway across the table, straight into the face of a hysterically laughing Jimmy.

"Oh my god!" She spluttered with laughter as she slammed the cup back onto the table, desperately trying to stop the Caf-Pow that had made it's way onto her prim white blouse from staining.

"What? Was it something I said?" Ziva asked in a very confused tone as she looked between them, first at a giggling Abby, then at a hysterical Palmer, and finally at a chuckling Tim, though he looked more like he was desperately trying to stop laughing so as to spare her feelings.

"I-uh, I- let's just say they weren't talking about baseball Ziva." Jimmy managed to force out between ragged breaths as he helplessly tried to control his laughter, clutching his sides in an attempt to stop himself from going into a fresh bout of hysterics.

"So what were they talking about then? As far as I know baseball is a commonly played American sport with 'bases'." Ziva said, raising her eyebrows questioningly, unsure of why they were laughing at her.

"Well yes, but it's also, uh...-" Jimmy started, looking honestly lost as he managed to control his laughter enough to answer her, wiping Caf-Pow off his face with the back of his hand.

"- A dating system." Tim finished for him, doing a better job at hiding his amusement than the others, though a smile was still definitely twitching at the edges of his lips.

"Oh, how so?" She pressed, and Tim decided he should probably tell her instead of Jimmy, since he looked like he probably wouldn't be able to string together more than one or two coherent sentences before losing it yet again. Leaning towards Ziva over the table he cupped his hands around his mouth, whispering in her ear quietly. By the time he'd finished Ziva's eyes were wide in realization, before she started laughing a little at her own expense.

"Oh, I see!" She concluded between giggles, running her hand through her ponytail absentmindedly.

"You sound like you're having fun. What did I miss?" A voice piped up from behind Abby and Ziva, who both turned in surprise just in time to see Tony slip onto the end of the bench seat next to the Israeli, red plastic tray of food in hand.

"Oh, n-nothing much!" Abby stuttered out, going into fresh giggles as her eyes flitted between everyone who was currently sat at the table.

"Doesn't sound like nothing." Tony pressed with a smirk, making direct eye contact with Abby across Ziva, who was currently stuck in the middle of them trying to restrain herself from giggling again, Abbys laughter being surprisingly contagious as Tim and Jimmy struggled just as Ziva was.

"None of your business DiNozzo." Ziva said in a firm tone, raising her eyebrows cockily as he transferred his gaze to her, smiling slightly.

"Oh really? Well, I am your date Zee-vah, i'll find out somehow." He said with an equally cocky expression as she just rolled her eyes in exasperation, much to his obvious amusement.

"It's not a date To-ny, you're simply... escorting me." She said after a moments silence, shrugging slightly as she turned back to the remnants of her meal, stabbing at it with a fork absentmindedly.

"Whatever you say David." He said, barely missing a beat as he shot back his response, a cryptic smirk now firmly on his face.

"What about you Abby? Max has been going on about your date for ages." Tony said after a moment of slightly awkward silence, changing the subject as best he could after Ziva refused to continue the conversation, instead poking at her food with a blank expression.

"It's not a date, well, not exactly..." She said as she looked up, having long given up on getting the Caf-Pow! of her now surely stained blouse, instead opting to arrange her hair over it as best she could, which wasn't really all that well as the stain was quite large.

"You should probably tell him that then, he's been talking about how great you are for days. To be honest I can't get him to shut up!" He said with a light chuckle, a broad smile replacing the smirk as it spread across his face.

"Well, I guess he is my prom _date_, but... I just want to take things slowly for now." She said hesitantly, staring down the straw of her Caf-Pow! evasively, as if afraid she'd said the wrong thing.

"I thin-"

"Hey Abby!" A new voice called, and Abby twisted around in her seat to come face to face with Max, who was managing to squeeze himself onto the end of the now crowded bench seat, meaning she was now sandwiched between him and Ziva.

"Oh, hey Max!" She exclaimed happily, seemingly oblivious to the daggers Tim was now staring at the two of them from the opposite side of the table. That, or she was choosing to ignore it.

"Don't forget, seven thirty sharp tonight, got it?" He said as he twisted his head towards her, his warm breath tickling her cheek as he leant purposefully into her personal space, not that he wasn't in in already.

"Do I look like i've forgotten?" She responded, raising her eyebrows playfully as he smiled at her flirtatiously, and in a way that made Tim and Ziva actually quite uncomfortable.

"I'm looking forwards to seeing your outfit you've talked so much about." He purred near her ear, and she felt an uncharacteristic blush coming to her face as she giggled and looked away, realising everyone else at the table was staring at them pointedly, though they all immediately pretended to be in conversation as she glanced around.

"I'm looking forwards to wearing it." She responded with a low laugh that he shared, sipping her Caf-Pow! as she smoothed out her hair subconsciously. To be honest she'd actually spent so much time on choosing her outfit that the excitement was practically consuming her as she willed the evening to roll around just that little bit faster.

"What are you going to wear Zee-vah?" Tony asked, and Ziva looked up with a mischievous glint in her eye, a knife dangling precariously from her fingertips as she ceased eating.

"That is for me to know and for you to find out." She stated mysteriously, winking at him as his lips curled into a smile, his eyes closed as he slipped into some sort of daydream she probably didn't want to know about. Slapping him in the chest with the back of her hand she smirked slightly at his suddenly shocked expression, shaking her head in amusement as she resumed finishing her lunch.

"I bet you can't wait to see Abby in a dress, can you McGee?" Tony joked out of the blue, earning him a dark glare from Max to which he just shrugged light heartedly, grinning widely.

"W-what?!" Tim spluttered in utter surprise, looking up from the notebook he'd been writing in with a start.

"Don't sweat it McNervous, I was joking." Tony said as his eyes narrowed slightly, noting his jumpy reaction as somewhat out of the ordinary. He didn't falter quite as much as he used to in Tonys presence, so the appearance of his stutter was a little odd. Brushing it off as little more than prom night nerves Tony turned his attentions back to Ziva, though keeping an eye on McGee out of his peripheral vision, observing him surreptitiously. Something was obviously awry, but what?

* * *

><p>Standing in front of the mirror, Tim checked himself over one last time, fumbling with his satin bow tie. He'd opted for a plain black tuxedo, simple but understated, with a white shirt underneath and black shoes that had been shined to within an inch of their life. He wasn't entirely sure why he was going to be honest, maybe it was Jimmys convincing, or the lure of seeing Abby all dressed up... either way, he was getting cold feet. No one would really notice if he wasn't there, so why was he bothering? <em>Ziva would notice<em>, he thought to himself with a slight sigh as he started to list off more names in his head. Jimmy, Abby, Tony... okay, maybe not Tony, but at this point he pretty much knew his decision had been made for him anyway.

"Tim? Shouldn't you be gone by now?" A voice called from the doorway and he looked up with a jump, seeing his little sister with her head peeking around the door, her curly hair loose and untamed as it hung around her shoulders.

"I'm just going... is there a reason you want me gone?" He asked suspiciously, being able to tell when she was up to something pretty easily, as she wasn't exactly the best of actresses.

"No." She responded almost too quickly, disappearing from view as she backed up hastily, going to close the door.

"Sarah." He called after her, taking a step forwards as she peeked around the door again, a sheepish smile twitching at her lips.

"Okay, okay! You have a quad-core processor, so your computer is faster, _and_ you have better games, so..." She trailed off, shrugging innocently at his unamused face.

"Fine, but you're not to mess with the mainframe or the settings again, okay?! Last time it took me over four hours to revert all the changes you'd made, including the setting that played the Nyan Cat song whenever I tried to type something." He warned, to which she just smirked, a devious glint in her eye.

"I thought it was tasteful." She responded, entering fully into his room as she skipped over to his computer, seating herself at the table with a resounding thump.

"Just... don't break it, okay? I have to go, and when I get back I expect it to be like you were never here." He said with a sigh as he walked towards the door, still eyeing her suspiciously as the smirk slowly dropped from her face.

"Harsh." She muttered under her breath, her eyes now trained on the screen as she brought up 'The Godfather'. Shaking his head with a ghost of a smile he stepped out of his room, closing the door behind him softly. To be honest she'd probably still be there by the time he got back, if her previous track record was anything to go by, and though he pretended to be bothered by it he knew he'd be more bothered if she_ wasn't_ there, since that would almost certainly mean she was up to something.

"Good luck!" She hollered after him, causing him to pause on the landing, backtracking to his door slowly.

"Good luck for what?" He queried, opening it once more much to Sarah's surprise as she quickly paused the game.

"Oh, y'know, the goth, what's her name... Abby, that was it." She said with feigned innocence as she looked at him over her shoulder, snapping her fingers as she conveniently 'remembered' Abbys name.

"Where does she come into this?" He asked, his curiosity piqued as her innocent expression made way for a far more devious looking one.

"Well, I was talking to Jimmy, and he-" She started, a knowing smile on her face as she spoke.

"When were you talking to Jimmy?" Tim interrupted, wondering where exactly she was going with this little train of thought.

"A couple of weeks ago? He came over while mom and dad were out, remember?" She fired back, swivelling around fully in the chair so she could face him.

"What did he tell you?" He responded, leaning on the doorframe as he checked his watch. He was still just within time thankfully, even though he was walking. He had been going to drive, but since it was only a ten minute walk and he wasn't escorting anyone he'd decided against it.

"I was getting to that! He said that you'd been rejected by her, and you're only going to prom so you can keep an eye on her and her handsome _date_." She said with a smug smile, resting her head in her hand as she crossed one leg over the other casually, arching an eyebrow.

"I'm going to kill Palmer!" He muttered more to himself than her, turning to walk out for the upteenth time that evening.

"So it's true then?" She called after him, knowing full well she was treading on thin ice but doing so anyway.

"N-no." He mumbled, mentally cursing his faltering as she smiled in an even more smug way, spinning around in the chair so she could resume the game.

"Oh, no, of course not." She said with an air of disbelief as she started rapidly hitting the keys, signalling their conversation was over. Deciding to let it go he closed the door, making his way over to the staircase in a bit of a rush as he knew if he didn't set off soon he would probably be late.

"Good luck!" Came the shout once more from his room, and he seriously considered going back and banning her from using his computer, but eventually decided he couldn't be bothered. That girl could really push her luck sometimes, there was no doubt about that.

Hurrying down the stairs he shouted a goodbye to his surprisingly quiet parents, who hadn't been speaking to each other for two days now after a particularly nasty argument. It had actually become so intense that Tim had had to take Sarah out for laser tag and ice cream because she wouldn't stop crying. Couldn't their parents see that with every single shouting match they were hurting their children more than each other?

Shaking his head slightly to clear it he hurriedly made his way out the door, dashing out before his father even had a chance to reprimand him for going in the first place. Crossing his arms against the surprisingly chilly air he set off, bracing himself for the evening to come.

* * *

><p>Tony DiNozzo was nervous. That wasn't normal, he was sure of it.<p>

Leaning his head back against the plush seat he checked the directions Ziva had given him earlier to make sure he'd given the driver the right address, just as the black limousine pulled up on the curb outside a small looking apartment block. It was nothing special as far as architecture went, rusty brown bricks making up the majority of the building, a plain looking door greeting him as he stepped out of the limo, taking the bouquet and corsage he'd bought for her in one hand. The actual limousine had cost him a lot to hire actually, especially as he was only sharing it with two other couples, Jack and his date Rebecca included.

Taking a deep breath he set off into the simple building, being greeted by a dimly lit hallway, with a small elevator at the end of the corridor. Walking hesitantly down it he flinched as every move he made echoed around him, the decor reminding him vaguely of one of the corridors out of _The Shining_. He actually half expected a pair of creepy young twins to appear at any moment, so he was pretty relieved when he made it into the elevator without incident. Hitting the top floor button as the doors shut behind him, he folded and unfolded his arms anxiously as he ran an absentminded hand through his hair. He was so taken up with thoughts of what could possibly be waiting for him when the doors opened that he practically jumped out of his skin when they actually did, a loud pinging sound echoing around him.

Fishing the now crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket he checked the room number written on it, Zivas small, neat handwriting informing him he was looking for apartment fourteen. Walking up to the plain wooden door marked with that number he raised his hand, hesitating momentarily before knocking on it three times.

'_Coming!_' a voice shouted from somewhere inside, and he could just make out the sound of light footsteps on carpet if he listened hard enough.

The sound of a key in the door followed some moments later, just before the door swung open, Tony struggling to contain a gasp.

Ziva was standing before him, wearing a floor length black dress, with a deep v that plunged all the way down to her waist, the fabric that made up the skirt rippling like the surface of water at the slightest movement. Her hair was twisted into perfect curls, pinned elegantly to the side, and strappy black heels adorned her feet, making her even taller than she had been already. To finish off the outfit she was wearing a delicate looking black lace shawl, which draped around her shoulders and contrasted against the silver Star of David necklace that hung from her neck. All in all she looked absolutely stunning, and Tony was having trouble dragging his eyes to her face as he looked her up and down slowly.

"Are these for me?" Ziva asked with a flirtatious smile as she noticed his gaze, gesturing to the bouquet of red roses that Tony had almost completely forgotten he was holding, along with the corsage he'd purchased for her.

"Yeah... wow Ziva... you look beautiful." He responded after a few moments, handing her the bouquet as he grinned widely, managing to train his eyes on her face.

"You are not so bad yourself." She said with a small laugh, taking the flowers from him and disappearing back into the atmospherically lit apartment as she went in search of a vase.

"Jenny, I am leaving now!" He heard her call out a few moments later as he hovered on the doorstep, and Tony was suddenly left wondering what her substitute family was like while she was in the United States.

"Alright Ziva, but first I need to meet your date." A feminine voice replied, and true to her word a pretty redheaded woman practically appeared out of thin air in the doorway, looking him up and down with a critical, calculating eye.

"And you would be?" She asked in a firm tone, making almost unnerving eye contact with him, her dark green orbs practically boring holes in him.

"Tony Dinozzo ma'am." He said with a slight hint of a joke in his voice, quickly quashed by the stare she gave him that meant that she meant _business_.

"Ziva has told you of my profession?" She asked as she arched an inquisitive eyebrow, which was just proving to make Tony a bit confused.

"Well, no-"

"Jenny, I will be fine, trust me. Besides, I know you would cover for me if I decided to make him _disappear_." Ziva smirked as she reappeared, stepping out of the door as she took the corsage from a slightly scared looking Tony, fixing the multicoloured flowers around her wrist.

"Miss David, you know I don't condone that kind of behavior! However, I may make an exception if he becomes... troublesome." She stated with a sly wink that just caused Tony to look kind of fearful for his life, much to Jenny and Zivas obvious amusement.

"Now, you are to be home by eleven o'clock _at the latest_, understand?" The redhead said in a way that literally commanded respect, and he got the feeling there would be severe consequences for both of them if he didn't have Ziva back at least ten minutes early.

"Understood." Ziva responded with a nod, looping arms with Tony as Jenny bid them goodbye, wishing Ziva luck as they made their way towards the elevator.

"Jenny's... scary." Tony stated with a laugh as soon as they were in the elevator and out of earshot, to which Ziva just smiled.

"As she should be. She is the director of NCIS after all." She said some moments of silence later, her arm still linked firmly through his as they stood side by side.

"NC- what?" He asked with a perplexed expression, feeling that this was something he was expected to know about already.

"Naval Criminal Investigative Service." She responded smugly, mischief flashing in her eyes as his widened.

"Oh, so _that's_ what she meant by profession. Makes sense I guess." He said, playing it cool, though if he was being honest that kind of freaked him out a bit. It must suck for Ziva more though, just her luck to get the director of a government agency as her exchange family.

Just then the doors opened out onto the ground floor again, and he quickly escorted her outside, managing to avoid an awkward silence. Opening the door for her she took her seat inside the limo, quickly followed by Tony who was eager to get the evening started, just like his fellow - quite rowdy - passengers.

"Oh, Tony, this is for you. Jenny said this is an american tradition that I should respect." She said as the vehicle started moving again, a boutonniere held in her outstretched fingers. Looking a little surprised he took the delicate red flower from her, securing the carnation to his lapel deftly as he grinned.

"Why thank you Zee-Vah." He chuckled playfully, causing her to laugh a little too, a rich sound that he immediately wanted to hear more often.

"You are very welcome." She responded in turn, smiling as she rested back against the dark seats, observing the other occupants of the vehicle. Tony took this opportunity to gaze at her yet again, and he soon realised that he had been right when he'd thought she was out of his league. She was sitting so close to him, and yet she appeared to be far out of his reach. _So far out of reach..._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So there we go! Apologies if it didn't appear that plot developing, but I needed to set the scene for the prom, which will have the next chapter entirely to itself if everything goes to plan! **

**Also, i'm basing my knowledge of American prom pretty much entirely on Wikipedia and movies i've seen, so I apologise if any of the details are a bit off. If they are, feel free to let me know and i'll try my best to sort it if I can. TTFN! :3**


	6. Tears Of Mascara In The Bathroom

**A/N: Hey again! This chapter was originally going to encompass the entirety of prom, but I decided that I couldn't really make that work unless I was going to have a ridiculously long chapter! Considering these are pretty long anyway I chose to split it into two instead, which I think will make things a bit easier. Also, as always, i'd like to thank my regulars, you guys are awesome for sticking around. Honestly, you are all really great. :3**

**(On a side note, Ed13, I can understand you fine, don't worry. :)**

**Warnings: This chapter does contain moderate swearing and very mild 'implications', just a heads up!**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own anything that is recognizable, though I still regrettably own Max, Jack, and the rest of the characters I made up and now strongly dislike. x3**

* * *

><p>Timothy McGee sat at a large table off to the side of the room, watching the lights and students go wild as yet another upbeat track started to blast across the dressed up gymnasium. He'd been at the prom for only five minutes now, but he was already starting to wish that Jimmy would turn up soon, or anyone else he knew come to that. He'd told Jimmy, Abby and Ziva where he'd be, but past that he was kind of left to his own devices, and the music was already starting to give him a headache that was pounding out a loud tune all of it's own. He was actually starting to regret coming in the first place, he'd much rather be at home now, wrestling 'The Godfather' away from Sarah or playing the xbox instead.<p>

"Hey, Tim!" A voice shouted to him over the music, and he looked up to see Jimmy slip into the seat next to his, grinning from ear to ear, obviously having a pretty good time.

"Oh, hey!" He shouted back, trying to make himself heard over the beat that was practically making the floor vibrate under his feet. In fact, he was pretty sure it_ was_ vibrating.

"You seen Abby yet?" He asked loudly, leaning over to him slightly so he didn't have to holler to be heard over the mix of songs and loud chatter.

"No, she isn't here yet." Tim replied as he also leaned over to be heard, meaning their conversation was now a little more private.

"Oh no, she's here. In fact, she's coming over right now." Jimmy said with a knowing smirk, gesturing across the room. Looking up quickly McGee struggled to stifle a gasp, in fact if he didn't know better he would have said his jaw had literally hit the floor at the sight of her.

Abby was walking, no, _sashaying_ towards them from across the impromptu dance floor, and as she got closer he could start to really admire how gorgeous she looked. She was wearing a strapless black dress, which was corseted to the waist, lace edging the top and bottom of the corseted section. Flaring outwards from her waist was the skirt portion of the dress that hung down to her mid thigh, rippling at even the slightest movement, a black lace overlay tying it in with the bodice. Under the dress her long legs were bare, chunky black boots that came up to her knees making her appear at least five inches taller, accesorised with many buckles and a mean looking heel. To round off the outfit her hair was pulled up into two high bunches, bouncy curls framing her pale face, and black lace gloves adorned her hands and arms, all the way up to her elbows. Basically, she looked better than pretty, she looked _beautiful_, and this left Tim struggling for words as Jimmy elbowed him in the side with a wink.

"I had a feeling that would be your reaction." He stated pretty loudly over the music, much to Tims horror as he hoped Abby wasn't in earshot yet. She didn't show any signs that she'd heard, but then again this was _Abby_ they were talking about, for all they know she could have heard them perfectly and be working out ways to tease them with it later.

"Timmy, Jimmy!" She shouted over the music, a grin tugging at her deep red lips as she made her way up to the table, leaning against it slightly as she laughed in a childlike fashion at the way their names rhymed.

"Hey Abby!" Jimmy spoke loudly over the music, grinning back at her as her smiles were definitely more than infectious.

"H-hey A-Abbs!" Tim stuttered, managing to stumble over his words horribly in what had been a vain attempt to appear unfazed by her appearance.

"Are you okay Timmy?" She asked in concern, leaning in a bit closer to him as she searched his face for any hints as to why he looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights.

"I'm f-fine, totally f-fine..." He responded slowly and in a distant fashion, obviously far too caught up in his thoughts to really process much else other than how lovely she looked.

"No date Jimmy?" She asked playfully as she turned to him, which just caused Jimmy to laugh.

"Oh, I was showered with offers, but I chose to go solo." He joked back in a way that came off as quite flirtatious, much to Abbys obvious amusement. This however, was cut short when she noticed Tim was still staring at her, his mouth slightly agape as he looked her up and down for the upteenth time.

"Is there a reason he's looking at me like that? Do I have food in my teeth or something?!" She asked in a worried tone, reaching for her black coffin shaped shoulder bag that neither of them had even noticed before.

"Um, I think it might be your... outfit." He coughed out, causing Tim to stare at him with wide, slightly angered, slightly fearful eyes.

"Oh, right! Do you like it? It took ages to find a shop that stocked anything like what I wanted, but I found it eventually!" She enthused, twirling around to fully show off her outfit in all it's beauty, her bunches flying out behind her as she did so.

"Abbs, you look... beautiful." Tim piped up after his prolonged silence, causing Abby to smile yet again, her eyes bright and joyful.

"Thank you Timmy!" She said coyly, perching on the edge of the table between the two of them rather than taking a chair.

"Don't you, uh, want a chair?" Jimmy said, gesturing to the several empty seats that were scattered around the table.

"Chairs are overrated." She said with a hyper laugh, playing with her hair lazily as she surveyed the crowd, swinging her legs back and forth in a manner they would have expected from someone at least half her age.

"Where's Max?" Tim asked innocently, his gaze sweeping the room as he looked for any sign of the jock.

"Oh, he's just getting me some punch!" She said excitedly, bopping her head to the music as she also searched for him through the crowd.

"You do know that'll probably be spiked, right?" Tim asked, now having managed to regain his composure enough to string together relatively coherent sentences.

"Of course! It's nothing I haven't had before." She said with an air of light ridicule, smirking at him as she smoothed her dress down absent mindedly.

"B-but you're seventeen-"

"Fake ID since I was fifteen. You should try it sometime." She said with a wink, just as Max weaved his way through the crowd to her side, clutching two drinks in his hands, managing to make it to the table without spilling a single drop.

"Here you go Abbs!" He said affectionately, handing her the cup of deep red liquid that was threatening to spill over at any moment.

"Why thank you Max." She responded flirtatiously, crossing one leg over the other as she sipped it delicately, Max taking a seat on the opposite side of the table from Tim and Jimmy.

"Have either of you seen Ziva?" Tim asked, trying to divert the topic of conversation from just Abby and Max flirting not-so-subtly. He didn't quite know why, but just that small gesture had made his skin crawl. Or, maybe he did know, but was reticent to admit it. Either way, he wasn't entirely comfortable with the way Max was eyeing Abby up as she gazed out over the crowd once more, a grin on her face as she soaked up the jovial atmosphere.

"No, not yet. Why?" Abby asked with a touch of resentment in her voice, not even turning to look at him, and Tim couldn't help but sigh a little. She really hadn't taken to Ziva much, though he could tell she was trying her best to be civil for his sake more than anything.

"I was just wondering." He trailed off, keeping a closely trained eye on Max. Maybe he was worrying too much, Tim was nothing like his own sister, right? Well, technically that was a lie, but they weren't exactly alike, so that point still stood. Maybe Max wasn't anything like his brother at all? And yet the way he was leering at Abby pretty obviously kind of made McGee want to vomit a little inside. He seemed to be ogling her like she was a fresh piece of meat, especially since he wasn't exactly staring at her face either-

"McGee!" A voice called, and he looked around in surprise, his eyes finally settling on Ziva, who was looking incredibly elegant as she seemed to almost glide over, her arm linked firmly with Tonys.

"Hey Ziva!" He responded in what he hoped was a cheery fashion, smiling in a feigned way as she came to a halt in front of the little gathering they had going on.

"Hey McGeek!" Tony said in a slightly more good natured way than usual, though it still earned him a slap on the arm from Ziva, who obviously disapproved.

"Tony." She said warningly, arching her eyebrows in a way that implied if he didn't behave she would follow through on the 'disappearing' act she'd mentioned earlier.

"Zee-vah." He shot back with a smirk, which just made her roll her eyes in exasperation.

"Abby!" Abby piped up, lightening the mood somewhat as she threw her hands up in the air, hopping down from the table excitedly as everyone laughed.

"Hey Abbs, you look nice." Tony said, looking her up and down just as Tim had been earlier, except with even less subtlety.

"Why thank you Tony." She replied with a coy smile as Max stood up, possibly uncomfortable at the attention his friend was giving her.

"May I have this dance Abigail?" Max asked as he stood in front of her, extending his hand out cordially as an average paced song started, not too slow but not overly fast either. Tim briefly noted that it might be '_Time after Time_', though he couldn't be one hundred percent sure. Either way it was sufficiently airy and light as far as songs went, not something he would have expected Abby to like.

"You may Maxwell." She responded in an equally formal fashion, abandoning their glasses of punch as they walked onto the dance floor hand in hand. Tony obviously took this as his cue too, guiding Ziva out onto the dancefloor, placing his hands on her hips as hers rested on his shoulders, moving in time to the beat. Tim just looked on, watching Abby giggle at something Max had whispered in her ear as they twirled around the floor, her ebony hair flying out as she spun around, laughing all the while. She looked so... _happy-_

"Earth to McGee!" Jimmy said, waving a hand in Tims face as he came back to his senses.

"What?" He snapped in an irritated fashion, staring over at Jimmy who looked somewhat taken aback at his tone.

"I-I, well, I was going to get some punch and wondered if you wanted any." He stuttered, getting up hesitantly as he looked at Tim with an almost concerned expression. Tim had never touched a drop of alcohol in his life, and even though he knew the punch had probably been spiked by one of the jocks, he found himself accepting Jimmys offer anyway.

As Palmer left to go find the punch table he rested back in the seat, dragging his surprisingly unwilling eyes away from Abby and towards Tony and Ziva, who were obviously in the depths of some sort of pleasant conversation as the song changed into a more upbeat tune. Tony had come pretty far in the past few weeks, so far Tim might've even classed him as a friend if he didn't already know that Tony would simply dismiss the idea without a seconds hesitation. And yet, Tim felt that he gotten to know a different Tony than the one who perved on girls and made lude remarks, a more three dimensional one. It wasn't that he didn't still perv on girls or make sexual remarks, but he also seemed to display an intellectual side, a funnier side too if you found constant movie references and childish jokes amusing. He was a different person when not around his peers, and Tim had decided that he much preferred the other, lesser known side of him. Why he decided to hide behind a facade was a mystery to Timothy, but maybe some things were better left alone in the long run, or at least until he was ready to open up about it.

A few minutes later Jimmy returned, clutching two glasses of punch in his hands, one of which he placed soundlessly in front of a thoughtful looking McGee. Drinking the punch slowly Tim surveyed the dance floor, noticing that quite a few people - Abby included - were switching partners frequently, meaning that it was difficult to keep track of.

"You should dance with her." Jimmy said quietly after some minutes of comfortable silence, watching as Abby twirled from one partner to the next, smiling and laughing all the while.

"I can't, M-Max would kill me." Tim replied, his nervous stutter at the mention of Max showing itself once more.

"She must have danced with half the guys in here by now, what's the harm?" He pressed, obviously finding his reaction quite amusing as he tried to hide a smirk.

"I don't fancy spending the rest of the year with my head stuck down a toilet if it's all the same to you Palmer." He said bluntly, turning away and watching the crowd again as Jimmy just chuckled in response.

"Isn't that what you do anyway?" He joked, realising his mistake when Tim turned around to glare at him again, his mouth set in a firm line.

"You'll regret it if you don't." He said after a moment of intense eye contact, gesturing surreptitiously to Abby who was currently mid pirouette a little way away from them.

"Okay! Okay." Tim said with a resigned sigh as Jimmy nudged him encouragingly, downing the last of his punch as he got up in a determined fashion. He knew he'd never hear the end of it if he didn't dance with her, and as Jimmy had said, what was the harm, right?

Making his way out onto the dancefloor he weaved his way to be relatively near her, watching her soundlessly for a moment as she danced in time to the fast beat. Twirling around her eyes widened as she noticed him in her peripheral vision, making a B-line for him as he smiled at her.

"Hey Tim!" She shouted over the music, placing her hands on his shoulders with an inviting grin. He however hesitated a moment, causing her to take a small step back in confusion, letting her hands drop back to her side as she stood there almost awkwardly.

"Don't you want to dance?" She asked hesitantly, and after another moment he nodded, gently tugging her forwards by the arm so he could place his hands on her hips, to which she happily obliged, placing her own hands back on his shoulders. The current song was stupidly quick paced, meaning that their movements had to be swift if they wanted to stay in time.

Making a split second decision he reached for one of her gloved hands, gently removing it from his shoulder and raising it up so she could spin around, much to her obvious joy. Twirling around she giggled loudly, grinning up at him as she spun back around the other way, the sheer amount of people on the floor meaning that they were in pretty close proximity by this point. Smiling down at her as their hands returned to their original places he felt something stirring in his chest, something he wasn't quite sure he could place...

Before he could even get the chance to _try_ and place the feeling he watched on as Abby spun around, crashing into someones chest as she stumbled out of McGees grip. Looking up in surprise she was a little shocked to see Max, who grabbed her arm quite tightly and pulled her forwards, further separating her from a slightly fearful looking McGee, who was somewhat withering under Max's warning glare.

"Hey! I was-" Abby started, being cut off as she was literally dragged away by her arm towards a vacant table, much to her obvious discomfort and surprise. McGee went to follow, a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach as he attempted to push through the dancing students.

He didn't make it far however before the music died down, a loud voice echoing around the room that he recognized. Headteacher Vance?

"-prom! Now, shall we see who are prom prince and princess are?" He just caught as the gaggles of teenagers yelled in response, the man presenting a golden envelope, showing it off from his spot on the large stage that had been set up by the far wall.

"And our prom prince is..." He started, everyone drawing a sharp intake except for a select few like Tim and Jimmy, who weren't really all that bothered by a title that meant nothing in the real world anyway.

"Tony DiNozzo!" He exclaimed loudly, and a spotlight started to search the crowd for him, the team of students behind the lights finding him pretty easily as he grinned, waving jokingly as he made his way up onto the stage. Mocking a bow after the ceremonial sash was placed over him, he laughed loudly, genuinely looking like he was having the best time possible.

"Now let's find out who our princess is, shall we?" He said, giving plenty of time after that statement for the squeals of excited girls to die down.

"And our princess is..." Vance started, barely leaving any dramatic pause as he wasn't the kind of man to delay things, he was more to the point than that really, more straight forwards.

"Ziva David!" He proclaimed, much to a lot of the students excitement judging by the cheer that bounced around the room. She must have been more popular by association than Tim had originally thought, but then again, being a girl and spending enough time around Tony DiNozzo tended to have that effect. He spotted Ziva just before the spotlight did, standing completely still off to the side of the floor, looking absolutely mortified. Like she wanted the ground to swallow her up or something actually.

"Ziva David?" The teacher encouraged as she was pushed forwards rather roughly by a couple of girls, causing her to stumble over her gown slightly as she made her way up the little stairs. She obviously still wasn't that popular with a few people...

"It's Dah-veed." She mumbled near the microphone, still looking distinctly uncomfortable as she was presented with her sash.

"My apologies Ziva." Vance said in a sincere tone as she mumbled her thanks for the sash, her eyes wide as she stood on the stage awkwardly, somewhat reminiscent of the expression a deer would make if it got caught in the lights of a speeding truck.

"Now, for our King and Queen!" He started, not that Tim was paying that much attention right now, still trying to force his way through the crowd of stubborn students, who were trying to watch the announcements and not very happy about having to move. He was having trouble relocating Abby through the throngs of people, so he was now using guess work more than anything for which direction she'd gone in.

"- the King and Queen, and the Prince and Princess will now share their first dance." The headteacher announced, looking sufficiently glad it was over as he stepped off the stage, soft music kicking in as the two pairs took to the floor, Ziva now looking pretty tense as most eyes were on her. Placing her hands softly on Tony's shoulders she moved slowly in time to the music, gazing into his pale green eyes in an attempt to distract herself from everyone staring at them more than anything.

Tim couldn't really see them that well through the mass of people, so he continued on in an almost spy-like as he skirted round the nearest table, thankful that he was easy to miss in a crowd, or so he'd been told by Tony anyway.

Just then the breath caught in his throat at what he was seeing, a deep feeling stirring in his chest once more, except this one he wasn't sure he liked. Max was leaning forwards in his chair, his hands tangled in Abbys ebony locks, kissing her quite passionately. It didn't appear to be a one sided affair either, as her hand was pressed against the side of his face, the other looped around his neck as she too was leaning forwards from her chair.

His hands balling into fists Tim turned away slowly, his fingernails digging painfully hard into the skin of his palms, leaving little half moon shaped welts that he didn't give a damn about. He'd never been a jealous person, but something about seeing her getting intimate with a guy - _Max_ at that - made him feel physically sick inside. Scanning the crowd for any other familiar face than hers, he finally noticed the mop of brown hair that was Jimmy, still sat back at the table he'd left earlier, chatting to a pretty looking girl he could vaguely place from their science class.

Trudging forwards with a downcast expression, he barged through the dancing couples as he made his way towards Jimmy, feeling the sudden overwhelming dislike of just about any two people who were obviously in a relationship. He knew he shouldn't resent anybody, he wasn't sure why he did, but something about the way everyone seemed to be having a good time except for him angered the usually quite placid McGee. He knew prom had been a bad idea, he should never have come. He could be chatting with Sarah now, or playing an online-

"Well _you_ are a real ugly piece of work, aren't you?!" A loud, distinctly male voice rang out across the gym, turning heads from all directions. Tim - who was now pretty close to his destination - could hear more shouts that were getting louder by the second, but he wasn't close enough to really understand what was being said.

Content to be distracted from everything he let himself be pushed along by the groups of interested students heading in the direction of the irate shouting, kind of intrigued to see what the whole thing was about. To argue on_ prom night_ of all nights must mean something pretty big was going down.

"I don't know, maybe _you're_ the lucky one s-since i'm such a... s-such a freak!" A feminine voice rose above the crowd and Tim recognized the voice with a start. _Abby?! _Jumping into action he started pushing his way back through the stubborn students as he tried to get closer, much to the agitated mumbles of those around him as he forced his way past.

"You were lucky to even get a second look from me, no one else was going to ask a crazy bitch like you!" The male voice he now recognized as Max shouted back, and anger welled up inside of Tim as he started shoving people left right and center, barging through hurriedly.

"T-that's not true!" She hollered in response as Tim managed to burst through the remaining teenagers, stumbling into the little circle that had formed around an angered looking Max and a distraught looking Abby, her lip trembling dangerously, her shaking hands folded around herself protectively as he got up in her face.

"Oh, c'mon, him?! Well, maybe you deserve each other, the the goth and the geek, both freaks... how fitting." Max replied in a worryingly low voice, chuckling hollowly as he gesticulated at Tim and Abby.

"T-That's enough Max!" A shout called out, and Tim looked around wildly for the source of it, but to no avail. And then he realised. _It was him._

"Aaaw, is M-M-McGeek here coming to protect his l-lady friend? How s-s-sweet." Max said in a mocking tone, which was just causing to rile McGee up further.

"Don't speak to him like that!" Abby yelled defiantly, grabbing the nearest drink she could get her hands on and throwing the entire thing over his suit in a fit of anger, her eyes cold as ice, slightly glassy with what appeared to be unshed tears, her bottom lip still quivering as she bit it, realising what she'd done.

"I'll speak to him how I want." Max stated in a weirdly calm tone of voice, pushing her backwards roughly by the shoulder, the glass of punch leaving large stains on his white shirt and black jacket. Tim caught her by the arm in the knick of time as she stumbled backwards from the force, pretty much crashing into him. As she righted herself she looked up at him, her beautiful green eyes wide and glazed over with tears that had started to run down her face, long black trails of mascara and eyeliner staining her pale cheeks. Her face had crumpled up horribly now, a sob escaping her lips as she shook her arm out of his grip and pushed past and through the other students, taking off across the gymnasium, past a stunned looking Ziva and Tony who had managed to join Tim, the music long forgotten much to the headmasters distress.

Tim stood there in shock for a moment, ignoring everybody else - even a now sneering Max - as he decided on his next move, choosing to deal with Max later as he turned to go after her, only to be stopped by a firm hand on his lower arm. Looking to the side he came eye to eye with Ziva, her face gloomy and worried as she made eye contact.

"I will go." She said after a long moment of tense silence, releasing his arm as she turned to face Max, giving him a glare that could send even the toughest man running before she made to go after Abby, giving the onlooking students the same glare as she shoved past, making surprisingly fast progress despite her heels. Though that was probably more down to the fearful students practically jumping out of her way more than anything else, none of them wanting to know what she could do to back up that particularly fearsome look.

Tony however had chosen to place a warning hand on McGees arm, sensing he was about to do something he may regret later. _God knows it was what Tony wanted to do..._

* * *

><p>Abby dashed down the halls, taking the oh-so-familiar route to the girls bathrooms, a mixture of tears and makeup flowing down her cheeks and splashing on to the corridor floor. She had hidden out in the toilets a few times now, mostly from the stereotypical popular girls who hadn't taken kindly to her '<em>thing<em>' with Max, or just her in general. Some of the girls had been nice to her, sweet even, but some had decided she was a misfit, a freak who didn't fit the mould they believed every girl must fit, or so help them apparently...

Spotting the door a little way in front of her she swerved towards it, crashing through and stumbling out into the wide space between the cubicles and the basins, choking back sobs. Fumbling with the door of one of the startlingly white cubicles she threw it open, stepping in and locking the door behind her, pressing her back against the door with a heavy breath as she wiped furiously at her eyes. _How dare he?!_ How dare he even try and twist it around to be her fault? It wasn't, she was sure of that... it couldn't have been...could it?

Letting her back slide down until she was sitting on the ground she hugged her knees to her chest, crying into her dress as her body quivered with every sob. She'd managed to embarrass herself in front of everyone, Headteacher Vance, Tony, Ziva, Jimmy, Tim... oh god, what if they had continued arguing after she left? She should have just gone along with it, not caused a scene, then the argument wouldn't have happened and she wouldn't be crying her heart out, on the floor, in a high school bathroom for gods sake. Why hadn't she just agreed?

_Because you didn't want to_, a small voice in her head argued back, somehow managing to make itself heard over the cacophony going on inside her mind. _You didn't want to, you said no. You had a right to say no._ The niggling voice argued once more as she curled up even further into a ball, tears still soaking her dress steadily as she wiped her eyes with it, trying to regain her composure but ultimately failing.

"...Abby? Are you in here?" A voice called out softly, the sound of the bathroom door opening and closing again making Abby look up from her knees with wide, fearful eyes. She didn't want to see anyone right now, she didn't want anyone to see her in such a state. She was always upbeat, caffeinated, happy-go-lucky Abby, no one had ever really seen her as anything else... and that's how she wanted it to stay. No one needed to see sobbing, tipsy Abby, that wasn't a burden she'd want to put upon anyone, regardless of how good a friend they were. No one ever needed to see her like this, so she slowly shuffled away from the door as quietly as she could, backing into a corner, trying to make it appear as if she wasn't there. This however didn't work when she couldn't help but let out a hiccup from bawling for so long, giving herself away.

"Abby..." The soft voice repeated, and she saw a tall shadow appear on the door, the clicking of high heels stopping just outside.

"Let me in Abby, please." She repeated, softly knocking on the door causing Abby to jump slightly and shuffle even further into the corner, brushing discarded pieces of loo roll away from her as she moved, remaining silent in the hope that the disembodied voice she now recognized as Ziva would leave her be. She'd of preferred anyone but her, Tim, Jimmy, god, even Tony would have been preferable, but she knew deep down that she was being harsh. The Israeli had done little wrong really, but she still wasn't the person she'd want to come after her, if she'd wanted anyone at all. The girl appeared to feel no emotions half the time, so why was she even trying to console her in the first place? She didn't look like the kind of weak minded person who would cry during an argument, not like Abby herself... Ziva would probably of beaten them to a bloody pulp actually, come to think of it.

"Come on Abby, I know you're in there, I can see your boots." Ziva said as she stepped back a bit, crouching so she could see under the door, true to her word.

"N-no." She whimpered through her tears, barely more than a whisper really, trying to control the unwanted sobs that kept escaping her.

"I am worried about you, please, just let me in." Ziva said with somewhat of a hesitation in her voice, like she was unsure whether this was how she was meant to act.

"I-I said n-no." She choked in reply, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. There was silence from Zivas end for quite some time after that, as if she was planning her best course of action. Another few minutes later she also sunk to the floor, leaning her head back against the door as she sighed softly.

"Look, I know you do not like me much, and you have no reason to talk to me, but..." The Israeli started, letting her sentence trail off as she struggled to find the words to continue. Abby got the feeling that consoling people was definitely not Zivas strong point, and she could hazard a guess that this wasn't a comfortable situation for her. Maybe if she continued being unresponsive she'd leave, that way they'd both get what they wanted in the end.

"Do not shut me out. I know this may be a throw in the dark, but I-"

"S-stab." Abby corrected, unable to stop herself as she wiped the fresh tears from her eyes, letting a ghost of a smile drift across her lips for just a moment. Trust Ziva to get that wrong.

"What?" She asked curiously, leaning further back against the creaking door as she did so.

"I-It's a s-stab or shot in the d-dark, not a throw." She mumbled quietly, letting out a small giggle as she snuffled.

"But would not throwing something in the dark be just as difficult?" She asked, barely missing a beat as she questioned the confusing idiom.

"W-well, yes, but t-that's not the p-point." She replied, taking a deep breath as the tears started to subside slightly, her head aching a bit from the constant sobbing.

"It is a silly idiom anyway, if I were to make a shot in the dark i'd make sure I hit them." Ziva said in a very serious tone, closing her eyes as she realised that she must be doing something right as Abby sounded like she might have found that amusing.

"O-of course you w-would." Abby agreed with another wan smile, using the back of her hand to wipe away the tears that were still forming, black trails still occasionally making their way down her tear stained cheeks.

"...What happened Abby? You seemed so happy before, so _upbeat_..." She asked after a long moments silence, aware that if she said the wrong thing there was a high probability of her bursting into tears again as her voice still sounded very shaky.

"M-Max... he, well... is-"

"A bastard." Ziva finished for her with a smile that she knew Abby wouldn't be able to see, though she hoped it would have come through in her voice.

"Y-yeah, well..." Abby said with a small giggle that came out more like a feeble whimper as she tried to put her thoughts into coherent words.

"H-he told me that since I was his date I-I should stay with him... and he just seemed so s-sweet and n-nice... a-and then one thing led to another a-and we were kissing... and um, m-making out and then... he said we c-could continue this in h-his car, and I-I said n-no, t-that I wasn't ready for t-that yet, and-" She forced out shakily before bursting into a fresh bout of tears, sobs wracking her body as the scene played out and then replayed over and over again in her head, rocking back and forth on her heels as she buried her face in her knees once more.

"Hush, it's okay, you do not have to tell me anymore if you do not want to." Ziva said in as soft a tone as she could muster, thankful that Abby couldn't see her as her emotions were definitely displaying themselves in her body language. Her hands had balled up into fists and she was pretty sure her facial expression was one of disgust at what she was hearing... maybe it wasn't Tony she'd have to make '_disappear_' tonight.

"N-no, i'm f-fine... he, h-he... he told me to loosen up a-and stop being so u-uptight, a-and I refused a-again... t-then... t-hen he just l-lost it, telling me that I was a p-prude and an, an ugly b-bitch, and that I was l-lucky to even get a second look f-from him... m-maybe I was. I should've j-just gone along with him, t-then we wouldn't have a-argued and r-ruined everyone's night, m-mayb-" She stuttered out through the tears, the large black smears on the backs of her hands growing larger as she wiped furiously at her red rimmed eyes.

"Stop Abby, stop now. Max was lucky to even get a second look from _you_, not the other way around... you didn't ruin anyones night Abby. _It wasn't your fault._" She interrupted, running a worried hand through her curls, messing them up a bit as she did so.

"I... I just don't... I-I don't understand Z-Ziva, he was so sweet before..." She muttered quietly, feeling quite ill after crying so much, her head throbbing from the interrupted air flow as her sobs quietened, more silent tears rolling down her cheeks and splashing onto her now soaked dress as she drew shaky breaths.

"Men, no, _boys_ like him aren't worth the time of day... if it is any consolation, he is lucky to be alive, as if it had been me I would have shot him on the spot." Ziva said with a smile, knowing that it had elicited the desired reaction from Abby as she heard a very faint giggle come from inside the stall, followed by a number of snuffling sounds.

"T-that's why I-I fear for T-Tony." Abby replied light-heartedly, causing Ziva to laugh good naturedly.

"You should." She shot back with a grin, slowly getting to her feet as her seat on the floor was becoming quite uncomfortable as time went on.

"Z-Ziva?" Abby questioned slowly, worried that the Israeli was going to leave again. Though she didn't want to admit it, Ziva had been doing a pretty good job of cheering her up, something she'd never expected from one of the most emotionless girls she'd ever met. Or at least that's what she'd thought before. Now, she kind of got the feeling that there was more to her than met the eye, and to be honest Abby was glad of the distraction from her own bitter tasting tears.

"Yes Abby?" Ziva replied as she hovered by the cubicle door, resisting the urge to pace, something she liked to do in situations that made her restless.

"I... I'm c-coming out now." She replied so quietly that Ziva wondered if she'd heard her correctly, but true to her word the sliding of the lock was heard, followed by two ghostly pale hands curling around the door as it was tentatively pushed open, and Ziva felt a new kind of anger at Max course through her as she took in the sight that was Abby.

Her skin was practically white, even paler than normal as most of the colour had drained from it, the only colour being around her eyes, which were red and puffy looking. A few stray tears were still falling down her cheeks, black marks smeared around her eyes and down her face, where she'd obviously been wiping pretty vigorously at her eyes, and in turn, her eye makeup. Her dress was damp with tears and clinging to her skin, and her hair was a far cry from the neat bunches that had once contained it, her fringe sticking up at odd angles as she'd obviously been running her fingers through it quite a bit. All in all she looked like a dishevelled wreck, and it took all the self control Ziva could muster to not storm out of the bathroom, pick up the nearest object, and track Max down right there and then. Though she and Abby weren't exactly the best of friends, it didn't stop her from feeling very strongly about anyone who managed to reduce a girl to tears who was normally so... _happy_.

They both just stood there for a moment longer, Abby avoiding Zivas gaze as she looked at her with sympathy. Suddenly - before Ziva could even react - Abby was practically throwing herself at her, engulfing her in a tight, bone-crushing hug, the kind that she knew was generally only reserved for McGee, from what she'd seen anyway. Slowly moving her arms to encircle Abby she patted her back rigidly out of shock more than anything, an almost robotic movement that was seemingly calming to Abby, who had buried her face into her shoulder as she released the remainder of her tears.

Continuing to pat her awkwardly on the back she sighed slightly as she was eventually released some minutes later, thankful that she could finally breathe again.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up." Ziva said after a long moment of silence, loosely guiding her over to the basins, watching as Abby took in her reflection from the row of mirrors situated directly in front of them. She then started to run some cold water out of the taps, splashing it on her face in an attempt to calm the puffiness of her eyes. Ziva just stood to the side and observed really, giving her space but still on hand lest she need help with anything.

Currently she was rummaging in her deceptively small coffin bag, producing yet another bag out of it that looked far too big to fit in in the first place. It was a plain black, with a smiling skull and crossbones on one side, a little glittery pink bow attached to one side of the skull, real ribbon stitched onto the outside of the pouch. Unzipping it Abby produced makeup wipes, starting to go over her face in a scrubbing circular motion that was just proving to make her skin red and blotchy. Her scrubbing soon became more frenzied as she tried to desperately remove the black that just seemed to be redistributing itself across her skin, until it looked like there was a distinct possibility she might be hurting herself.

"Abby, stop, stop." Ziva said hurriedly, grabbing her wrists and gently pulling them away from her face, where fresh tears had glazed over her eyes again, though she seemed determined not to let them fall this time.

"What's going to happen to me Z-Ziva? I threw a spiked drink over another student, there has to be some sort of consequence for that, doesn't there? What if I get suspended? Oh god, what if I get expelled?! I don't want to be expelled, I like it here, I don't wanna lose my friends, I don't wanna lose you guys! Tim, I mean he gets me far better than anyone else i've ever met, and he's so sweet, and Jimmy, he's weird but strangely endearing-" She rambled, gesticulating wildly, the wipe still clutched in her hand as she turned to Ziva, who was looking more than a little worried about her wellbeing.

"Close your eyes." She commanded, taking the pack of wipes off the countertop and pulling a fresh one out, starting to gently clean the makeup off a jumpy Abby, who was wringing her hands anxiously.

"But Ziva, what will I do if I get expelled?! I can't be, it would ruin everything-" She started again, this time not making it far before Ziva interrupted.

"I am sure the headteacher will have seen what happened, he will see that you were being verbally abused... many people can vouch for you Abby." She reassured, managing to get Abbys face to an acceptable standard as she chucked the wipe she'd used in a handy bin.

"But-"

"No buts. What eyeshadow do you normally wear?" Ziva asked in an attempt to distract her from her incessant worrying, pulling out no more than six different eyeshadows.

"But I-"

"Which ones?"

"...Those." Abby replied with a resigned sigh, pointing at four different shades that seemed to be various hues of brown, apart from one which was a pure white. Grabbing a couple of brushes out of the seemingly endless bag she got to work, instructing Abby to close her eyes as she started to brush on the different shades, blending them deftly as if she'd done it a million times before.

"I am sure everything will be fine, do not worry." Ziva reassured after a long moment of silence, easily being able to tell by Abbys nervous lip chewing that she was more than a little anxious.

"But... what if it isn't?" She whispered as Ziva finished with the blending, pulling out numerous different eyeliners that she sifted through quickly, settling on a smoky black pencil that would soften her face and hopefully disguise the redness if she applied it well enough.

"I will make sure it is." She responded with a vague smile as she got to lining her eyes, struggling to conceal the telltale signs of tears that were still peeking through.

"Do you do makeup a lot?" Abby asked after another long silence, abruptly changing the subject as Ziva brushed what she hoped was tinted moisturizer or foundation across her face.

"Huh?" Ziva asked distractedly, deciding that what she was using was definitely some sort of foundation.

"Makeup. You seem practised at it." She repeated, trying to keep her face as still as possible.

"Oh... Tali, my little sister, she used to make me teach her everything I knew about it. You get good quick when your sibling keeps making you do her makeup for her." She said with a laugh, remembering some good times that came to the forefront of her mind.

"I see! I wish I had a little sister, i'd love to be able do stuff like that... unfortunately I was gifted with a little brother instead." Abby said with just a hint of sarcasm as Ziva pulled out a deep crimson coloured lipstick.

"Ah, brothers are the worst." She agreed light-heartedly, swiping the lipstick on in what she hoped was a neat enough manner.

"You have a brother?" She queried as Ziva pushed everything back into the bag haphazardly, stepping back to admire her handiwork.

"There, I am done." She stated abruptly, diverting the topic of conversation as Abby turned back to the mirror, combing through her fringe with her fingers in the hope of getting it into some order.

"Ziva?" She questioned, turning to look at the brunette, who was currently tidying up Abby's makeup bag, double checking that everything she'd used was sealed properly before she gave it back.

"Yes?" She said, looking up as she sensed eyes on her, locking gaze with Abby who was looking at her intently.

"Thank you... I mean, really, thank you. I know I haven't been very nice to you, and i'm sorry, I really am, it's just that I was-"

"Jealous?" Ziva teased lightly, grinning at her as she handed the bag back.

"What?" She asked, looking somewhat taken aback and confused as Ziva just laughed.

"Y'know, you and McGee, no wait, sorry... '_Timmy_'." She said in a mocking tone, though it was meant in a goodnatured way.

"That... I was not jealous!" She said defensively, folding her arms over her chest as she pouted.

"Oh no, I believe you." Ziva said with a smirk as Abby stamped her foot in annoyance, swivelling round to the mirrors so she could fix her bunches.

"You don't, do you?" She said, purposefully avoiding looking round as she fiddled with her hair, eventually settling on letting her hair loose in an attempt to ease the dull headache that she still possessed.

"No." Ziva replied with a mischievous look in her eye, turning to head for the door, Abby trailing behind her, dragging her feet a little as she played up her childlike annoyance. _She didn't believe her for even a second..._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So there we go! I apologise if it was a little intense, but it was needed for the plot I have planned out. The next chapter should hopefully be a little happier if things go to plan! **

**Over and out! :3**


	7. Hidden Feelings And Their Meanings

**A/N: Hey again everyone! (I seriously need to work on a new greeting, don't I?) So, as promised, this is the second half of the prom, and I warn you, it's pretty much just fluff in the latter half, fluffiness everywhere! Also, this chapter is quite a bit longer than normal too, so i'm not sure at this point whether to feel proud of myself or apologise. xD**

** Anyway, as per usual i'd like to thank all my loyal reviewers, I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own NCIS, as if I did I would be writing scripts and directing things, not writing fanfiction. I also don't own anything else that is recognizable. :3**

* * *

><p>"They've been gone a while." Jimmy remarked from his seat at the table, breaking the unnerving silence that hung in the air around the three teenagers. Things had moved pretty quickly after Abbys departure, culminating in Max being thrown out and detentions being handed out left right and center. In fact Palmer was pretty sure that this would go down as one of the most memorable prom nights in the schools history, and unfortunately for all the wrong reasons.<p>

"I should've gone after her, she doesn't like Ziva much..." McGee mumbled, his head in his hands as he sighed deeply, having long given up on trying to distract himself.

"They'll be fine, i'm su- oh look, there they are." Tony said, watching the two figures as they entered slowly through the doors, seemingly in silence.

Abby's head was hung low forlornly, her eyes staring at the ground in front of her, her arms hanging loosely by her sides. Ziva on the other hand had her head held high, her gaze challenging any student who dared to even look at them as they made their way soundlessly across the floor. Tony watched as Tim jumped up to his feet, closely followed by Jimmy and then eventually himself, looking on as Abby looked up, her face remarkably free of the stains that had occupied it before as her eyes settled on an extremely worried looking McGee.

"Timmy!" Abby practically shouted, causing several heads to turn as she ran at him, jumping into his inviting arms as he held her close, stumbling slightly as he fought to keep his balance. She soon had her head buried into his neck as he stroked her loose hair soothingly, mumbling comforting words into her ear as she held him in a death grip.

Tony was content to just watch the two of them for a moment, somehow wishing that he could have a friendship as close as theirs with somebody. He had friends, sure, but over the last few months he'd started to question what they really meant to him. If he were to get into a fight, his current friends would probably just laugh and let him deal with it himself. Not like Tim with Abby, not how he'd stood up for her despite how scared it probably made him. If he were to get rejected, his friends would probably just encourage him to get his own back by publicly humiliating the poor girl, or something similar. Not like Palmer with Tim, he could tell that he was worried about McGee just as a true friend should be. He'd never had friends who cared that much really, and he was seriously starting to doubt what he wanted now-

"I think she is better." Zivas voice broke through into his thoughts as she came to his side, her expression warm as she looked at him. _Maybe he was pushing the people away who could be the best friends he could ask for... maybe.._.

"I hope so." He replied after a moment, averting his gaze from Abby and McGee who were still entangled with each other as he offered Ziva a seat, sitting down next to her quietly.

"I tried my best, though I believe she is still fragile." She said in barely more than a whisper, crossing one leg over the other as Abby, Tim and Jimmy all returned to the table at the same time, each of them seemingly feeling a large array of emotions judging by their facial expressions.

"Were you talking about me?" Abby asked after a long moment of tense silence, having taken to staring at the white tablecloth instead of at anybody else.

"Uh, well... no! We were just saying about the consequences-" He started, not even managing to finish his sentence before being cut off by a suddenly frantic Abby.

"You weren't suspended were you? Oh my god, have you been expelled?! Is this like your last day here? I don't want you to go, I-" She rambled, staring at him with huge eyes as he tried to get a word in edgeways.

"Why do you always assume it was me who got in trouble?" Tony interjected, bringing an end to Abbys monologue as she sat there looking unsure.

"Because it normally is." Ziva said in a serious tone, smirking at him as he turned to look at her with an annoyed look.

"Well, let's just say McInnocent over there isn't quite as pure as he seems." He said with an equally devious smirk, briefly glancing over at McGee who was shooting daggers at him from across the table.

"He wouldn't-" Ziva started, just before Abby started babbling once more, gesticulating wildly as she effectively drowned out the rest of whatever Ziva was saying.

"Oh my god, Timmy, what did you do?! Don't leave, I don't want you to leave, i'll talk to Vance, i'll talk to the school board if I have to-"

"I'm okay, i'm not going anywhere Abby, I promise." He reassured, placing a comforting hand on her knee as she looked at him with wide, fearful eyes, slowly letting her arms drop into her lap as she quietened.

"What happened?" Ziva asked Tony out of curiosity, tilting her head to the side slightly as he got a mischievous glint in his eye.

"He got a detention... ruined your spotless reputation with the teachers, didn't it McGeek?" He joked light heartedly, Tims eyes becoming darker as he glared at him warningly. _If looks could kill, he was pretty sure he'd be six feet under by now._

"What for?" She asked, a slight smirk at Tims expense drifting onto her face despite herself.

"Oh, just threatening behavior and '_extreme use of swear words_'." Tony said with a smirk, causing Ziva to look quite shocked and Abby to just look very worried.

"What, I mean, why?" She asked slowly, placing her hand atop McGees, that was still resting gently on her knee. He however was avoiding her gaze, obviously quite ashamed of what he'd done.

"McGee has quite a mouth on him I tell you, it reminded me of that scene in Planes, Trains & Automobiles, you know the one where he starts ranting at the car rental clerk? Steve Martin, great..." Tony trailed off prematurely, falling silent as Ziva sent him a fierce gaze that would make any man quake in his boots. Including him, not that he'd ever let on about it of course.

"H-he called you u-uptight and... and o-other things." Tim murmured to Abby in such a quiet way that Tony actually had to strain to hear him at all, which was probably the point.

"What..?" She asked hesitantly, her expression remaining blank in an almost Ziva like way, except that her eyes betrayed an emotion he couldn't quite place.

"I wasn't going to let him say that kind of stuff about you." He whispered, to which Abby just smiled slightly, leaning forwards and planting a soft kiss on his cheek, a deep crimson lipstick mark left behind as she pulled away.

"W-what was that for?" He asked, a definite redness dusting his cheeks that had nothing to do with the lipstick as she smiled again, this one wider than the last.

"Defending my honor." She replied with a small giggle, causing his face to turn entirely new shades of scarlet as she squeezed his hand lightly, intertwining her fingers with his under the table.

"Hey, I would've defended you too, it's just that he beat me to it." Tony piped up, causing Abby to turn to him with a devilish smirk, her eyes glinting mischievously.

"So why don't you have a detention slip?" She asked as she arched her eyebrows expectantly, Ziva spluttering with laughter at the whole situation.

"I... I know better than that, okay? Here, Vance told me to give you this." He said, taking a detention slip out of his jacket pocket and handing it to her, her face falling as she read it.

"Rowdy behavior? Oh, come on!" She said in an annoyed tone, glaring down at the slip like she hoped if she looked at it long enough it would spontaneously combust under the pressure.

"You should be thankful that is all you're getting, Miss Sciuto." A deep voice said from behind her and she turned to look over her shoulder very slowly, almost horror movie-esque. There stood Vance, his stance commanding and his face serious as he towered above them.

"M-Mr Vance! What a pleasant surprise, we were just, uh, talking about you!" Tony said with a nervous grin, the first to break the silence that had overcome all of them.

"I'm sure you were Tony." He said with a knowing look that made Tony close his mouth hurriedly, the grin evaporating as quickly as it had appeared.

"W-what happened to Max?" Abby asked hesitantly, chewing on her lip as her eyes met his nervously.

"He has been ejected from the premises. Verbal abuse is not acceptable on school grounds or otherwise-"

"He pushed her, doesn't that count as physical?" Tony interrupted, earning him a pointed look from the headteacher, once again succeeding in shutting him up.

"She threw a drink over him DiNozzo, he reacted. One thing everyone appears to be hazy on however is the cause of the argument. Care to enlighten me Abigail?" He continued unfazed, looking down on Abby with a stern stare that made her recoil slightly, gripping Tims hand ever tighter, so tight she may or may not have been cutting off his circulation.

"I-I... well, I..." She stuttered, letting her gaze drop to her feet as she struggled to find the words, determined not to get upset again. Not in front of Vance.

"Yes?" He pressured, folding his arms as he waited impatiently, sighing slightly.

"I... h-he-"

"It was sexual harassment." Ziva cut in, coming to Abbys rescue as Tim and Tony both turned to look at her with wide eyes. Neither of them had been witness to the beginning of the argument, so it had come as news to them, and Vance apparently.

"Pardon?" He asked, also looking a little surprised as Abby stared down at her lap, fidgeting slightly in embarrassment.

"Sexual Harassment. He invited her to have sex in his car, she said no. It is simple really." Ziva said bluntly, realising she was too far in to back out of it now, Abby sinking further and further down into her seat with every word.

"Well, rest assured, Maxwell Simons has been suspended pending a further look into the matter. However I will be expecting you two in detention on Monday afternoon, twelve o'clock sharp. Got it?" He said, gesturing first to Abby and then to Tim, who now had one arm around her in an act of comfort as she nestled into his side.

"G-got it." Tim replied for both of them, making soothing circular patterns with his fingers across her bare shoulders, calming her down as she struggled to keep it together.

"Good." He said simply, turning on his heel as if he was going to leave, but then thinking better of it and turning back around once more.

"Do I need to give you each separate detentions?" He asked with a pointed look between the two of them, his eyes settling on the red lip shaped mark that still adorned Tims cheek.

"Oh, no, we're just friends." Abby mumbled, her voice muffled as her face was buried into his jacket, and Tony could tell by the fleeting flicker of hurt across Tims face that he hadn't expected her to be so blunt about it, so... _honest_.

"If you say so... but if I see any 'fraternization' between the two of you on or before Monday I will split you up, understand?" He said in a warning tone, his eyes hardened and cold as he stared at them. They both merely nodded as he turned away, disappearing back into the crowds of students as quickly as he'd appeared.

"So, uh... who is up for some dancing?" Tony said out of the blue in an attempt to lighten the mood, practically dragging Ziva along with him as he jumped up, '_Last Friday Night_' blasting across the entire room. It was actually so loud as to be almost deafening, but he pulled Ziva onto the dance floor anyway, busting out some dance moves that none of the others thought they'd ever see.

Turning to Ziva he grinned at her as she just stared at him in a bemused fashion, watching as he made an absolute fool out of him. A melodic sound rang out from behind her and she looked over her shoulder, finding a beaming Abby to be the source of it as she watched Tony with glee, twirling around and around like a small child as she dragged McGee along with her. It was quite a sight to behold to be honest, and Ziva started to bop to the music a little herself as she mimicked the others, causing a lot of students to look at them like they might be slightly loony, not that they cared at that point.

Tony watched the others with interest, dancing like a fool as he sang the lyrics at the top of his lungs like many of the other students, Abby joining in as she danced around to the music, swiftly followed by a somewhat more reluctant Ziva and Tim. He honestly couldn't care less of what other people thought about him right now, maybe it was the drink talking, or maybe it was the atmosphere, either way he'd had enough of hiding behind a facade. Even if it was just for tonight, he was here to have fun, and that's what mattered. So what if people were looking at him oddly? He was enjoying himself, and anybody else in their right mind would be too.

His eyes eventually settling on Ziva he watched as she did a simple two-step, her hazelnut coloured eyes betraying the fact that she felt a bit awkward as she danced, obviously not gleaning as much enjoyment from it as everybody else was. Her curls were looser than before, messier even, and he couldn't help but have the urge to run his fingers through them, however much he tried to deny it. She looked utterly beautiful standing there, almost angelic as she moved gracefully, even if her moves were very simple.

She started to look around at the others with an almost bemused gaze as he looked on, before eventually her eyes met his, a hesitant, confused smile spreading across her face as she saw what he was doing.

"Tony? What are you doing?" Ziva asked as she furrowed her brow slightly, trying to work out whether he was dancing, or if he was having some sort of fit instead.

"This, Ziva, is the running man." He replied matter-of-factly, grinning as he did so.

"But you are not running." She said after a moment, watching him with confused eyes as he continued, turning quickly to look at Abby who was showing off the very same move, convincing a very begrudging McGee into doing it with her. They looked exceedingly comical actually, and Tony was soon struggling to contain his laughter.

"That's not the point. Look, see, do this..." He said as he refocused on the Israeli, slowing down his steps and exaggerating them so she could copy him. She did so at Abbys encouragement, the bemused look back on her face as she mimicked him almost perfectly.

"Well, I think it is stupid." She said after another couple of seconds, going back to her head bobbing and two step as she did so, much to Abbys disappointment.

"Aaaw, come on Zee-vah, lighten up!" He coaxed, grabbing her by the hand as he started to twirl her back and forth, round and round, much to her obvious surprise.

"Tony!" She exclaimed in a warning tone as he continued to pull her around the floor, spinning her around so much she feared she was going to get motion sickness soon.

"What?" He asked innocently, smiling broadly as he spun her around once more, eventually releasing her as she stumbled for a moment, dizzy, but still stable enough to fix him with a dark glare.

"Okay, okay, i'm sorry." He gave in as she nodded in response, turning away from him so he couldn't see the smile that had started to twitch at her lips without her consent.

"Tony!" Abby exclaimed happily as she spun out of nowhere straight into his now vacant arms, her hands pressing up against his chest as she steadied herself, grinning up at him with bright eyes.

"Why hello Abigail. What can I do for you?" He replied jovially, placing his hands on her waist to steady her as her grin just got bigger, if that was even possible.

"Timmy won't do the Carlton dance with me." She said in a childish voice, pouting as she looked up at him with big, pleading puppy eyes. Sure enough '_It's Not Unusual_' was now blasting across the room, and a lot of the other students had already got into the swing of things, much to his surprise.

"Well, that, Abby, is because McSpoilsport over there is no fun." He replied in an equally childish tone, playing along as he was happy to see her with a smile back on her face. She was quite obviously still a little tipsy, giggling like a little girl as he bust out his best impression of the dance, much to her delight as she soon joined in. To be honest he was surprised she was acting in such a comfortable way around him, considering he'd been nothing but teasing and even slightly mean towards her since they'd first met a while ago. Then again, she had never really had many qualms with him come to think of it, more with the company he kept.

Dancing opposite Abby he just grinned at her as they continued, her giggles informing him that he was obviously doing something right. Out of the corner of his eye he could just see a mortified looking Ziva, who honestly looked ashamed to know him at this point. Next to her McGee was watching Abby with a slight smile on his face, though he too appeared to also be slightly embarrassed by them, judging by his eyes.

This continued on for some minutes, minutes that had quite possibly rolled into hours, all of them were having too much fun to really tell. They'd done every novelty dance under the sun, introduced Ziva to the wonders of '_The Cha Cha Slide_' and '_YMCA_' dances, and sung song lyrics until their throats were raw. The floor was slightly less crowded now, some students having drifted off to go home, or continue the party elsewhere.

Currently Ziva was engulfed in his arms as they swayed slowly in time with the music, her face inches from his as they moved in slow circles across the floor. He couldn't help but wonder what her reaction would be if he closed the miniscule gap between them, her vanilla scented perfume intoxicating as he gazed down at her lips wonderingly, before letting his eyes drift back up to meet hers, a small smile working it's way onto his face. She smiled back after a moments hesitation, letting one hand delicately run down his chest and back up again, her smile morphing into more of a sultry smirk as she raised an eyebrow teasingly. Slowly she started to lean forwards, her eyelids fluttering shut as his breath caught in his throat. _She was so close...so very close.._.

However, what he had not been expecting was for her to get so close to his face he was sure that their lips must be brushing by now, before she turned away at the last second, her expression becoming somewhat more despondent, like she'd thought better of what she was going to do. As her head rested on his shoulder his expression remained at least a little dumbfounded, his eyes wide at how close their lips had been to connecting. Blinking once, twice, then once more he tried to snap out of his dazed state, looking down at her face as it lay against his shoulder, her dark hair framing her face perfectly as her eyes remained closed, her arms wrapped around his neck loosely.

Looking up again he tried to find something, _anything_ to distract himself from the suddenly overwhelming thoughts of what could have happened if he'd moved forwards even half an inch, and he soon found that distraction in McGee and Abby, who were slow dancing in a similar fashion. Her head was buried into Tims shoulder much like Zivas was to him, his hands resting gently on the small of her back, almost tentatively really. He had a faint smile on his face as he gazed down at her, and Tony couldn't help but wonder what kind of miracle he'd performed during that hug earlier to make her seemingly forget all her worries. She was either exceedingly good at hiding it or she seemed remarkably unfazed by what had occurred before, though to be frank he probably didn't really know her well enough yet to be able to tell the difference, unfortunately.

"I think McRomeo over there might have just scored his Juliet." He said as he fixed his eyes back on Ziva, whose eyes opened slightly as he spoke, her expression pensive as the soft melody washed over them. He decided not to mention what had happened only moments before for fear that she would brush him off, so he chose to bite his tongue instead, something he didn't do very often really. _It had probably been a mistake on her part, she'd probably realised that he was just a heartbreaker, a player who would ditch her as soon as another girl came onto his radar... at least that's what people would have told her._

"What?" She asked in a way that implied she hadn't really been listening, her head coming back up to be level with his, her eyes questioning.

"Those two." He replied with a small smile, tilting his head in Abby and McGees general direction as he moved around slightly, letting Ziva see for herself.

"I do not think scored is the right word." She said slowly, a faint smile drifting across her own face as she gazed over at them, McGee whispering something indiscernible into Abbys ear as she just smiled in way of reply.

"What would you call it then?" He asked almost challengingly, grinning at her.

"I am not sure, it is just the word 'scored' makes it sound like he is preying on her while she is vulnerable." She responded after a moment, watching them with an unreadable expression as McGee hesitantly rubbed Abby's back in a gentle manner.

"Wait, how has the McGeek not scored? Look at him, hugging her like that, comforting her by whispering sweet nothings in her ear, textbook stuff." He said with a mischievous smirk, causing Ziva to arch an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Whatever textbook that is, I do not believe that he has read it yet. Look at his eyes, he is hesitant, unsure. Also, he keeps fumbling with the sleeve of his jacket... I think he is nervous." She muttered in a quiet voice so as not to draw attention to their conversation, gesturing surreptitiously at McGee with one hand.

"Where do you learn this stuff?" He wondered aloud, noting that she was indeed right.

While Abby seemed to be perfectly content he looked sort of uncomfortable, as if he wasn't quite sure how he was meant to act. Then again, from what he could tell McGee had never had the best of luck with girls, highlighted by the horrific shutdown of Freshman year. That had been totally brutal on Tim, Tony had been there, and had laughed. He'd actually laughed. He wasn't proud of that in hindsight, but as an immature fifteen year old he hadn't really seen a problem with laughing at the geek who just got rejected by the pretty cheerleader. Now he regretted it, realising how humiliating that must have been for poor McGee, especially as he'd never seemed to have that much confidence to begin with. After that incident he'd seemed to retreat even further into his shell than he had before, barely talking at all unless he absolutely had to, and almost certainly not to any girls as far as he could tell. In fact, that was around the time his nervous stammer had begun, probably heightened by the bullying he'd been the brunt of practically every day.

_It was all your fault_, a voice in Tonys head spoke as he continued to stare at McGee, realising with horror he was probably to blame. _You were one of the ones who bullied him into submission_, the voice continued as he tried to shut it out, but failing as the one thing he could never escape from was his own mind._You shoved him around and stole his lunch money_, it reminded him, however much he tried to drown it out. And all that was true, to a point. It wasn't like he'd been on his own for all that, he'd had the help and encouragement of his friends. Were they even really his friends at all? He didn't know-

"Tony?!" Ziva asked, pulling him back to reality with a start, and he realised she'd probably been calling his name several times, judging by her tone.

"Yes sweetcheeks?" He said, using a pet name before he could stop himself. Bracing himself for the slap that would surely follow, he was surprised when it never came. Instead she just laughed to herself, shaking her head in obvious amusement.

"Why do you dislike McGee, honey?" She said in a playful manner, playing along as she emphasized every word, smirking devilishly.

"Huh?" He asked, a little taken aback as they stopped swaying for a moment.

"Why do you dislike him?" She repeated, her smirk fading as she looked up at him, brows furrowed slightly.

"I... don't?" He said as more than a question that a fact, trying to gauge her reaction as she donned the blank expression she seemed to be able to turn on and off at will, making her pretty unreadable.

"You are not very good at showing it." She stated after a long moment of silence, her face turning thoughtful as she tilted her head to the side, gazing directly into his eyes.

"Sure I am. You're just not very good at interpreting it." He joked with a faux grin, trying to play off the question as she just stared at him blankly, thoroughly unamused.

"...You are a jerk, right?" She said in a slow tone of voice, causing him to look rather taken aback before he realised what she'd meant.

"You mean a jock?" He corrected, the grin returning to his face once more, except this time it was far more genuine.

"Jerk, jock, same difference. But you are one, correct?" She asked again, and he started to wonder where she was going with this particular train of thought. Wherever it was, by the sounds of it it couldn't be good.

"Well, yeah." He said, his eyes betraying his confusion as he looked at her inquisitively.

"And that dictates that you cannot be friends with anyone of a lesser social standing, no?" She pressured, and he was starting to feel a little uncomfortable as her grip that had transferred to his shoulders tightened slightly.

"Well, I guess-"

"...You should not let that stop you from making real friends." She finished sagely, as if she'd read his mind. It was kind of creepy actually, how she'd been able to tell just what his mental debate had been about without even asking. Wherever the heck she'd learnt all this stuff, it was definitely serving her well.

"I think-"

"It is time I head home." She finished his sentence for him, gesturing to the clock on the wall that informed them it was already twenty to eleven. Scared of what Jenny would do to him if he didn't get Ziva back on time he agreed hurriedly, the idea of federal agents busting down his door not a very appealing one.

Taken by the arm he found himself being pulled by Ziva over to where McGee and Abby were still dancing, and he almost felt bad for intruding on them._ Almost_.

"Abby, McGee, we will be going home now." Ziva stated loudly, causing Abby to jump slightly as she hurried to disentangle herself from the intimate position she was currently in, turning to face her in surprise.

"Together?" She teased with a wink, causing Ziva to just smirk devilishly back at her, her eyes glinting mischievously even in the low lighting.

"Shalom." She said as Abby pulled her into a tight, bonecrushing hug, whispering a soft word of thanks in her ear before backing off, letting McGee give Ziva a much looser farewell hug. It was strange actually that he was hugging her, but by the slight nod of her head and the meaningful look on his face Tony could only guess that he had said something to her that was not intended for anybody else to hear.

Looping her arm with Tonys she turned away from them, the smirk still fixed on her face as she started to walk away, taking him along with her.

"Bye!" Abby shouted after them with a jovial wave, and Ziva turned back to look at her with a grin, winking sneakily before turning back to Tony, who had now taken over leadership, guiding her back out to the limo. _It had been quite a night..._

* * *

><p>Tim watched as they left, smiling to himself as he just caught the wink Ziva had sent at Abby, who was swaying in time with the gentle beat, the music having softened considerably as the night drew onwards. He watched her carefully, wondering what she was actually thinking, her eyes distant and unfocused as she stared straight ahead, seemingly right through him, chewing on her lip in an agitated fashion.<p>

"Abby?" He asked unsurely, placing a cautious hand on her shoulder as he shook her slightly.

"Huh?" She asked with a very visible jump, her eyes widening before they softened again seconds later, realising it was only him. She looked distant even now, worn out even, and with good cause. She really did look pretty drained, and he realised she was probably fighting to stay awake as she screwed her eyelids shut again, stretching one arm out above her head as she stifled a yawn with the other.

"Come on, you need to get home." McGee said in a soft, caring tone, nudging her gently in the direction of the doors as she protested weakly.

"No, just one more dance Timmy, pleeease?" She pleaded, looking up at him with big doe eyes, fluttering her eyelashes at him in an attempt to sway his decision in her favour.

"You need to go home, I don't want to have to carry you." He stated bluntly, taking her by both shoulders as he tried to guide her somewhat more forcefully, though she was quite literally digging her heels into the floor.

"You'd carry me?" She asked in a surprised tone, her brow creasing as she studied his face, the drink he hadn't previously noticed still clutched in her hand giving him some idea of her mental state.

"W-well yeah, I-I mean of course I would, I w-wouldn't just leave you..." He mumbled, stumbling over his words as a shushing finger pressed gently against his lips, a deep blush quickly rising on his cheeks as she took a small step forwards so there was practically no space between them anymore.

"One more dance?" She whispered alluringly, her face dangerously close to his, the musky scent of her perfume drifting over his senses as she smiled slightly. _One more couldn't hurt, right?_

"Okay Abby, okay." He mumbled as a grin broke out over her face, her eyes lighting up as she engulfed him in yet another tight hug. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination or not but she seemed even more affectionate when she was sleepy and possibly slightly tipsy, as she most definitely was judging by the amount of yawns she'd stifled and the amount of times that glass had been refilled, to his knowledge.

"Thank you!" She exclaimed happily just as another song started, a sweet melody that was the perfect pace for a slow dance.

"How could I refuse?" He joked quietly, placing his hands on her hips as hers rested on his shoulders, moving across the floor in small circles. Dancing had never really been his thing, in fact he thought he was pretty abysmal, but Abby didn't seem to mind, especially as she'd stood on his toes with her boots more times than he could count. It appeared that dancing wasn't really her thing either.

'_It's amazing how you_

_Can speak right to my heart._

_Without saying a word_

_You can light up the dark._ '

The lyrics rang out as they moved in silence, her eyes closed as she gently hummed the tune, letting him lead as she moved on instinct, getting lost in the little world of her thoughts.

Gazing down at her he watched as a stray strand of silky black hair fell across her porcelain skin, the curls having loosened and dropped a little over the course of several hours. He continued to move in comfortable silence as she subconsciously removed one of her hands from his shoulder, tucking the wisp back behind her ear, her eyes still closed as she returned her hand to it's original placing.

'_Try as I may, I could never explain_

_What I hear when you don't say a thing._ '

Letting the music drift into his subconscious he couldn't help but be struck by how beautiful Abby looked, the way her hair fell around her shoulders just so, the way her face seemed so peaceful, so angelic. A slight smile played on her deep red lips as she listened to the song, resting her head on his chest as her hands moved around to the back of his neck, her smile fractionally wider as she snuggled into him, McGees arms shifting to wrap around her waist as they slowed to a gentle sway. Considering it for a moment, he eventually let one hand make it's way up her back, petting her hair very cautiously as he wondered if this was going too far for '_just friends_'. And that's all they were really, according to her at least. He, however, was starting to doubt if that's all he really wanted from their relationship.

She was easily one of the best friends he'd ever made, especially as she'd even stuck around after discovering just how controlling and strict his parents could be. That was a situation he usually tried to skirt around, divert the attention to something else, but with Abby she'd been understanding, kind even. Apart from Jimmy no one else had really stuck around after a while. Sure, he had other friends, but they weren't as reliable, not quite as close as Abby was to him. She was special to him, he knew that, but the very thought of figuring out what he felt about her made his stomach churn and his heart to pick up speed... _Was it normal to think your best friend had the most captivating eyes you'd ever seen? Was it okay to wonder what their lips would feel like pressed against your own?_

And that's when it hit him, like a proverbial ton of bricks.

He had a big,_ huge_ crush on Abigail Sciuto, the eccentric, affectionate goth with an intellect even he envied... And that scared him more than he could ever imagine.

After what had happened during freshman year he'd vowed to never let himself be humiliated like that again, as he just knew he was setting himself up for a fall, even now. She was so quirky, so stunning, and he was just, well, him...

'_You say it best, when you say nothing at all._'

The songs conclusion filtered into his thoughts, drawing him out of them as the two of them slowed to a stop, his arms releasing Abby as she gently disentangled herself from him. Already he missed her touch, but he knew he couldn't afford to think like that. He didn't want to ruin what they already had, that would hurt him more than anything, so he knew he had to block out those kinds of thoughts that had the ability to make his head spin and his heart pound in his throat.

"Home, I know." She said before he had the chance as she looked at him with a mischievous grin, walking towards the door, though soon pausing as she waited for him to catch up with her. Shaking his head he tried to clear his mind as he hurried to follow her, though after his sudden epiphany that was proving to be very difficult.

* * *

><p>Soon enough they were already outside in the car park, the weirdly freezing air chilling them both to the bone as they walked, Abbys arms wrapped tightly around herself in an effort to preserve her warmth. It was surprisingly cold, but then again it appeared that the weather couldn't make it's mind up recently, one minute it was freezing, the next it was like a heatwave.<p>

"Which one is yours?" He asked her, wanting to make sure she was at her vehicle and safe before he left himself. He was quite possibly paranoid, but he knew that if Max was anything like his brother he'd have a mean temper, meaning he could quite possibly be waiting around for shouting match number two. Jack could hold a stupidly long grudge, that he knew from Jimmy, who had been unfortunate to get on his bad side some years ago, and was apparently yet to be forgiven.

"None of them." She responded after a long moment of silence, the wind having picked up since earlier that evening, her hair whipping around her face wildly as she struggled to control it with one hand.

"Huh?" Tim asked with confusion, before realising where she was probably going with this. _She'd have come with Max, it would make sense._

"Max drove me here, but i'm pretty sure he wasn't nice enough to leave me the truck." She replied dryly, gesturing to an empty parking space quite a way from them, where he could only assume the distinctive red truck had once been parked.

"Bastard." Tim muttered under his breath before he could stop himself, causing Abby to look at him with arched eyebrows, obviously quite shocked.

"Timmy!" She scolded, unused to hearing him curse, it just wasn't his style. Or that's what she'd thought. _She was learning a lot about him on this cold summer night..._

"Sorry, i'm sorry, I-I just... well, it is true." He mumbled, looking down at his smart shoes which had suddenly become very interesting to him.

"I know..." She said with a somewhat vacant look, one that he didn't really like as she started to bite her lip again.

"Well, I would offer you a ride home, but I didn't bring my car." He said with a distinctly awkward chuckle, as she just smiled slightly, seemingly having snapped out of her distant thoughts just as quickly as she'd got lost in them.

"It's fine, i'll just walk, it's not far." She said, the smile growing a little wider even though it didn't quite reach her eyes, her hair blowing behind her as she turned to wish him farewell.

"Abby, w-wait, i'll walk you home." He said before he even realised he had, his hand clutching her forearm gently in an attempt to stop her from leaving.

"Aw, McGee, that is so sweet! But honestly, i'll be fine, I only live a couple of blocks away, it'll be a twenty minute walk at most, and that's if I drag my feet." She reassured kindly, though McGee wasn't going to back down that easily. She may believe that she'd be fine, but he knew if something bad happened to her on the way home and he'd had the chance to accompany her he'd never forgive himself.

"Abs, I am not letting you walk home alone, on a freezing cold night, in a prom dress." He stated firmly but gently, making steady eye contact with her as she narrowed her eyes slightly.

"But my apartment is a twenty minute walk in the opposite direction from your house, that's going to be like an extra forty minutes added on to your journey, I couldn't do that, not that i'm objecting to you being a gentleman, 'cause i'm not, but-" She rambled, gesticulating wildly with her free arm as she tried to talk him out of it.

"Abby, i'm coming with you, and that's final." He asserted, to which she just pouted and shook her arm out of his grasp, folding them neatly over her chest as she swivelled away from him on her heel, sticking her nose in the air in annoyance. She knew he was only being a good friend, but sometimes he really could worry over the stupidest of things.

"You're not Mr Vance, I don't have to listen to you." She mumbled as she studiously avoided his gaze, the icy air causing her to shiver involuntarily as she struggled to remain mad at him. It was like being mean to a puppy really, and she was having real trouble.

"No, i'm not, but i'd never forgive myself if something happened to you." He confessed in little more than a whisper, her face softening almost instantly at his words as her arms slowly dropped to her sides again.

"Well... alright then, but i'll be paying you back, I don't want you to think me a freeloader! I could buy you a coffee, you like coffee, right? I mean I love coffee, but-"

"Abby." He interrupted quietly as she started to shiver even more, and he began to wonder if she'd left her coat inside or something.

"Oh, right, sorry." She muttered with a sheepish smile, rubbing her hands up and down her arms as they started to walk for the looming gates, illuminated by nearby streetlights.

"Did you forget your coat?" He asked after several moments of walking in silence as she continued to try and warm herself, failing pretty horribly as she sighed, her breath clouding momentarily in the air.

"I came here in a truck with a heater McGee, I wasn't expecting to have to walk home and half freeze to death." She said in a matter-of-fact way, with what could have been a shrug or a shiver, he wasn't quite sure. Either way she was starting to look pretty miserable, and as they turned out onto the pavement he made his decision.

"Here." He offered, slipping his jacket off and holding out to her, to which she just looked at him with wide eyes.

"But Timmy, you'll freeze!" She said in a shocked tone, pushing his hands away gently. It was kind of ironic really, considering she was the one who was 'half freezing to death', but he pushed this thought aside as she continue to gaze at him worriedly.

"No I won't, take it." He said, offering it to her again as they both stopped for a moment, Abby obviously having some sort of mental debate as she eventually took it with shaky hands. Pulling it on swiftly she wrapped the jacket around herself, soaking up it's warmth contentedly. It kind of hung off her slim frame really, not that she seemed to mind as she pulled the sleeves over her hands to ward away the cold, looking instantly cheerier.

"Thank you." She mumbled as she snuggled into it, the gentle glow of the streetlights glinting in her eyes as she smiled almost shyly.

"Don't mention it." He replied softly, denying the urge to fold his arms against the cold. He wasn't going to contest that he was now pretty chilly himself, but Abby didn't need to know that, especially as he knew that if she had any inkling he was cold she'd probably be handing it back to him in a flash.

They walked in comfortable silence for some time, the streetlights lighting their path as their steps rang out rather loudly, louder now that they'd left the prom well behind. McGee was kind of wishing he'd driven to prom now, considering he could have just dropped her at her house easily and in half the time. He would have told her to wait inside the gymnasium and walked home to get his car, except he knew she'd have gone without him anyway, since she was definitely stubborn like that. And short of sourcing some handcuffs and cuffing her to a table he'd have had no chance of making her stay if she wanted to go anyway.

"McGee?" Abby asked after another minute or so of silence, her voice soft and quiet as she twirled a strand of hair around her fingers almost nervously.

"Yeah?" He queried in a similar tone, looking over at her curiously.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled quietly, her shoulders hunched as she looked away, the pavement suddenly becoming far more interesting to her than it had been moments before.

"...For what?" He asked softly, his mind going a mile a minute as he tried to think of what she could possibly be apologising for. She wasn't one to seek forgiveness normally, in fact it was a rarity she did unless she'd really managed to mess up, which wasn't that often all things considered.

"Ruining your prom night? Getting you in trouble with Vance? Causing a scene-" She started, still refusing to look at him as he caught her by the arm gently, stopping her in her tracks.

"You didn't ruin my night Abby, and it wasn't your fault I got detention... that was my own choice." He stated, crouching down slightly so he could look in her downcast eyes, which were currently being hidden behind her hair.

"What _did_ you do to get that?" She asked with a slight shake in her voice as they made eye contact, obviously trying to change the topic of conversation. Quite a lot of the things he'd spouted were... _unrepeatable_, so to speak, and he didn't fancy the judging look he knew he'd receive from her if he told her the truth. But he didn't really want to lie to her either, especially as she always seemed to be able to tell when he was.

"Just what it says, language and threatening behavior." He dodged, releasing her arm as he started to walk again, Abby tripping over herself in an attempt to keep up.

"Did you like slam him into a wall and intimidate him? Because I would have _paid_ to see that." She said light-heartedly, smirking up at him as her eyes lit up mischievously.

"With the amount of people watching, I should have started charging." He joked back, smiling as they turned onto yet another street, one he wasn't actually all that familiar with.

"So you did threaten him?" She pried, looking at him with almost surprised eyes, the smirk having given way to more of a small smile.

"Something like that." He mumbled in barely more than a whisper, looking away as he stuck his hands in his trouser pockets, trying to warm them even if only slightly.

Noticing this subtle gesture she moved closer to him as they walked, and to his surprise she put one arm around him in a side hug, pulling them closer together as she snuggled against his side. Looking down at her with slightly widened eyes he watched as she sighed lightly, looking perfectly content.

"Abby, w-what are you doing?" He stuttered, cursing how nervous she'd made him as she smiled up at him, her eyes sleepy yet soft, probably due to the amount of alcohol she'd consumed and the lack of Caf-Pow! in her system.

"Keeping you warm, silly." She mumbled as if this was the most obvious thing in the world, hugging him even tighter as he let his arm drape hesitantly across her shoulders, an involuntary blush tinting his cheeks as he smiled down at her affectionately.

"Do you... do you think I act like a bitch?" She asked him out of the blue a few minutes later, her voice muffled as she buried her head in his side. It was a bit of a weird way to walk, and it was honestly a bit of an uncomfortable position for McGee, but for her sake he didn't say anything for fear she'd get upset. And since this seemed to be comforting her he just let it be, squeezing her shoulder slightly as they walked.

"Of course I don't Abby, you're one of the nicest girls I know." He replied reassuringly, the question catching him off guard. _She couldn't possibly believe the lies Max had been spouting at her, could she?_

"I'm one of the only girls you know Timmy." She mumbled with a small giggle, her spare hand gripping on to the front of his shirt as she nestled up even closer against him, making any movements all the more difficult, not that he was intending to push her away anytime soon.

"That's not true... okay, maybe it is, but I know Ziva don't I?" He said, trying his best to defend himself, though he knew it to be true.

"You compare me to the Israeli exchange student who can could kill you eighteen different ways with a single paperclip. Most people are 'nice' in contrast." She responded matter-of-factly, though with less venom than he'd of expected from her when talking about Ziva. After the events of the evening it looked like the two of them had been getting on better than before, well even, though he could tell they could still easily get on each others nerves.

"Well, you're still the sweetest girl I know." He reiterated, deciding to let that particular argument slide. Normally he'd have argued his point, but right now his main concern was getting her back to her apartment before he had to carry her there, as she looked and sounded ready to drop at any minute.

"You're so kind McGee, y'know that?" She murmured in a faint voice as they rounded a corner, McGee starting to run his hand up and down her arm tenderly as they continued to walk slowly.

"I do now." He responded playfully just as she looked up, squirming around a bit as she repositioned herself, seeing her apartment block up ahead.

"That's it." She said sleepily, gesticulating in the vague direction of the building as he nodded in response, guiding her towards it gently. He knew that the evenings events had taken their toll on her, especially as she was now sufficiently caffeine deprived and emotionally tired, so he was just happy that she didn't live even further away at this point.

Looking up at the plain building he was quite honestly surprised about how tall it was, towering over the other buildings and dwarfing them all with it's sheer size. He'd never actually been to Abby's place, not because of any particular reason as far as he knew, just that going to his or Jimmys was often easier as they lived closer to school than she did.

Soon enough they found themselves navigating through the large doors, heading straight for the elevator as Abby remained attached to McGee, humming some sort of disjointed tune to herself as the doors slid open and they stepped inside.

"Floor sixteen." She offered up the answer before he'd even had a chance to ask, so he pressed the button marked sixteen, somewhat surprised at just how many floors they'd managed to cram in. The numbers went well up into the forties, and what with his fear of heights he was really starting to thank his lucky stars he lived in a house instead.

"You're not to believe any of what Max said, okay?" He said in a hushed voice as the doors slid shut, her words earlier making him think that maybe she believed Max in some sort of warped way.

"But he's right, I a-am a freak..." She trailed off in a surprisingly calm voice, and he probably would have thought she was fine had it not been for the slight waver that had managed to creep in part way through.

"No, you're not. If either of us are freaks, it's me. I slaughter people online for gods sake." He said in a light hearted tone, trying to cheer her up, even if he wasn't entirely sure how to go about it. Upset girls weren't exactly his forte, well actually girls in general weren't his forte, but he'd be damned if he didn't even try.

"I sleep in a coffin, McGee." She stated with a weary laugh, causing his eyebrows to raise to almost inhuman heights. He was now quite frankly glad she had her face buried into his side, since that probably wasn't the kind of reaction she would want to see.

"Y-you do?" He stated, trying to keep the shock out of his voice, though failing pretty horribly. He'd never really thought about it really, but it was very... _Abby_.

"Maybe you'll get to see it some day." She joked with a small giggle, and McGee was sure if he could have seen her face she would have winked suggestively.

"U-Uh, I-I don't k-know, I-" He stumbled, struggling to find any sort of answer that didn't sound either perverted or just plain creepy. _Girls definitely weren't his forte._

"What do you think of Tony and Ziva?" She interrupted, obviously trying to suppress her laughter at his reaction, but failing miserably as she threw him a lifeline in the form of a new topic.

"W-well, Ziva's great-" He started quickly, hugely relieved that the path of the conversation had changed as he'd been digging himself a hole that he wasn't quite sure he'd of been able to get out of.

"No, no, I mean like as a couple!" She interjected again, parting herself from McGee as she stretched her arms out above her head, yawning loudly as she did so. Though he hated to admit it he already missed her presence, a deep stirring in his chest making him somewhat distracted as he just gazed at her, in awe of how pretty she looked, despite the now smudged makeup and messy waves.

"I don't think Tony would be able to cope with any kind of commitment Abby." He stated plainly as she just grinned in response, obviously having cheered up at his expense.

"Twenty dollars says that they're together by the end of the year." She said in a conspiratorial manner, her eyes glittering as she offered to shake on it.

"Deal." He replied almost instantly, shaking her hand just as a ping echoed around them, the doors sliding open on cue moments later as they both stepped out into the door lined corridor that was the sixteenth floor.

Walking down the hallway she soon slowed to a stop by the fourth door to her right, hesitating by it before knocking on it softly. Frantic fumbling was quickly heard on the other side of the door, and McGee started to wonder whether this was his cue to slip away or not as he hovered behind her.

Just then the door was flung open with a bang, a boy McGee would have placed at around Sarahs age smiling broadly at them as he stood at the doorway.

"Abby, you're back! Mom and Dad have been so worried about you, you said you'd be back by half past ten..." He trailed off as a pretty woman with curly brown hair appeared behind him, using what McGee recognized as sign language to communicate something to Abby, who started to look vaguely apologetic as she signed back, smiling as she shrugged.

Tim could soon tell the conversation had turned to him however as the woman smiled kindly at him, signing something at Abby that made her laugh loudly, a grin lighting up her face. Realising she was looking at him out of the corner of her eyes he just smiled awkwardly, like he actually had a clue what they were talking about.

"Mom says you're very kind for walking Abby home, and that she should hang on to you as it's rare to find any true gentleman these days. She agreed, and said you were sweet." The boy who he could safely assume to be her brother translated, causing Abby to glare at him in annoyance.

"Luca!" She exclaimed loudly, causing him to just smirk at the two of them in a mischievous manner.

"Thanks Timmy, for everything I mean." Abby said in a sotto voice as she turned, studiously ignoring her brother as she slipped the jacket off. Though she immediately missed it's familiar scent and warmth she knew she couldn't hang onto it forever, so she handed it over almost unwillingly, before pulling him into a tight hug, practically squeezing the life out of him. Unfortunately for him, the position he was in meant he ended up making direct, awkward eye contact with Luca over Abbys shoulder, who just smirked. Quickly averting his eyes he found his eyes locked with her mothers, though she nodded and smiled fondly at the two of them as he patted Abby on the back gently.

"Don't forget what I said." He mumbled in her ear just as she eventually released him, and a small smile flickered across her face before she leant forwards, pressing a soft, chaste kiss to his cheek as he flushed bright red for the upteenth time that evening.

"I won't. Just don't forget our bet." She replied, smiling softly as they bid each other farewell, the door to her apartment closing quite a few goodbyes later. Shrugging his jacket on he turned slowly, walking back down the hallway, tracing the lipstick mark on his cheek with his fingertips.

_He definitely had a huge, hopeless crush on Abigail Sciuto..._

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><p><strong>AN: Ooh, so McGee has finally realised what his feelings for Abby are! After writing seven chapters I thought it was about time, y'know? I'm trying to make the progression of both relationships as natural as possible, since this has already been set over several months, and I feel Tim and Abby in particular would be very good friends by now. Also, Tony and Ziva had a bit of an intimate moment there, didn't they? They didn't quite kiss, but they're certainly on comfortable terms with each other...**

**Finally, on another note, all the song choices i've made have been songs I think would be played at a prom, but feel free to correct me if i'm wrong! Especially 'When You Say Nothing At All', I literally looked for the cheesiest love song I could find that was almost guaranteed to be played at a party . xD**

**'Til next time! :)**


	8. Coffee, Concerts, And A Confession

**A/N: Good morning/afternoon/evening/whenever! So as always i'd like to thank everybody who reviewed, favourited, or followed this story, you all make me so happy, stupidly happy even! :)**

**There was one review I received that I would like to quickly answer publically, just to clear some things up as it were! On the Tiva front I really wanted to make this story available to both ships and their respective shippers, but I do understand that some people don't ship one, or the other, and vice versa. However I doubt the Tiva in this will become too much more prominent than it already is (though their relationship _is_ going somewhere) since this is mainly a McAbby story, so you needn't worry. Also on the argument between Max and Tim, I wanted to leave this T rated, and writing out the set-to as I imagined it would probably bump up the rating, as implied by the movie reference, hence I skirted round the actual event. I'm trying to keep this the equivalent to a 12, or maybe a 15 at most in movie rating terms, if that makes sense? Dropping the F-bomb every other word would probably be a bit much for that...at least I think it would. xD**

**Finally, I hope you all enjoy this chapter! :D**

**Disclaimer: All the normal stuff really, I don't own NCIS or anything else that is recognizable, however much i'd like to!**

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><p>"How am I supposed to know what a blank verse is?" Tony asked as he looked up from his paper at a focused looking McGee, who was jotting down answers onto a worksheet speedily.<p>

The almost three months of summer vacation had seemed to pass very quickly unfortunately, which meant that they were soon lumbered with more work to do that they could take, or at least Tony could take. McGee was holding up better all things considered, but judging by the fact he kept closing his eyes and rubbing his temples every few minutes he was also slowly losing the will to live just like everyone else. It was like all the teachers had decided to save up all the work they would have been doing if they hadn't been on vacation and dump it on them pretty much as soon as they arrived back, just to spite them for actually having lives at all outside of Bleakwood.

"They're lines of iambic pentameters that don't rhyme." He replied as if he was reading it off a script, shuffling through the papers he had spread out around his side of the table without even looking up.

"I'm not even going to ask." Tony said with a heavy sigh as he took notes, his side of the computer table in a similar state of disarray as he struggled through the English homework.

He wasn't sure why they always ended up in the IT room, but it did seem to have it's perks, as it always appeared to be relatively peaceful. Technically you weren't meant to study in there, but the few other occupants of the room never seemed to mind, so it had kind of become a tutoring tradition of theirs.

"It's a ten syllable line divided into five units, which are called iambs." He muttered as his grip on the pen tightened, his knuckles going white against his skin as he scribbled out answers very fast.

"Well that's all well and good McGenius, but what did that have to do with Shakespeare?" Tony responded as he gazed at the computer a little way from him for the upteenth time, where he could easily find the answer, he knew it.

"It's how he tended to write plays... why don't you just ask Google all this? You've been eyeing up that computer for ages." He said as he looked up slowly, the pen hovering above the page as he spoke.

"I would, but _someone_ is meant to be tutoring me right now." He shot back, to which McGee just sighed, setting the pen down soundlessly as he ran a hand through his hair wanly.

"What's wrong, had a lovers spat with our favourite goth or something?" He joked jovially, trying to lighten the mood a bit. However he soon realised that wasn't going to work as Tim just sighed in response, resting his head in his hands as he didn't even really acknowledge the jibe. Actually, now that he looked properly McGee looked genuinely exhausted, the dark circles under his eyes contrasting against his slightly bloodshot eyeballs.

"Oh come on McGee, talk to me here!" He exclaimed loudly, causing the few other occupants of the room to look round at him in an annoyed fashion as he mouthed a hasty apology. It was almost like being in a library in there, once he'd dropped his bag too loudly on the ground and nearly every single person had turned to look at him with a burning, accusatory glare that made even him want to cower.

"You want to know what's wrong?! I have a test next week I haven't even begun revising for, I have mountains of homework to do, I have a french paper due in tomorrow that I haven't started, I've barely slept all summer, and on top of all that I have to tutor _you_!" He snapped noisily, taking Tony - and the other occupants of the room - by surprise. That was probably the most he'd ever heard him say in one go come to think of it, especially as he'd always seemed a little fearful of him. _Not anymore apparently._

Making his decision he pushed back his chair after a moment, leaving his papers and notes strewn over the table as he bent down to pick up his backpack. Slinging it over one shoulder he got to his feet calmly, making his way towards the door with a neutral expression that gave nothing away.

"W-where are you going?" McGee asked from behind him, obviously immediately regretting his outburst as he returned to his shy demeanor, the shake in his voice evident .

"Getting you a coffee." He replied over his shoulder as if it was obvious, smiling slightly as he walked out the door before McGee could ask anymore questions.

This however just proved to perplex McGee, far more than his geography paper had been moments ago. Tony was getting _him_ a coffee? As in, Mr Popular was helping _him_?! That was new, even after many months of this awkward not-quite-friendship they'd developed due to the tutoring and Ziva. And he didn't like it.

He was probably going to put salt in it instead of sugar, or maybe lace it with some kind of drug that had horrible side effects. Maybe both. Either way, he was wary, especially as he'd just shouted at him like he had. _He'd have to apologise for that..._

Looking down at all the papers laid out on the table in front of him he stifled yet another sigh, though a yawn quickly followed that he failed to suppress. Between revising and tutoring he was tired enough as it was, but add in his parents pretty much constant quarrelling, the desire to get his sister out of the house as much as he could because of it, _and_ his newfound feelings for a certain hyper goth, he was practically dead on his feet.

His parents hardly stopped arguing these days, and vacation for him had been far worse than school ever could have been. He'd hear them bickering well into the night, making sleep all the more difficult, then there would be a lull for a little while before they started up again in the early morning, at which point Sarah would be awake - if she'd even managed to get to sleep - and sneak into his room in search of comfort. She honestly seemed to think it was her fault they argued all the time, and though he tried to reassure her otherwise he could tell she didn't believe a word he said half the time.

He'd started to take her out places in a distraction technique, so much so he had probably spent longer out of the house than in it for the entirety of the holidays. They'd gone to play laser tag, gone bowling with Abby, - who Sarah had grown to like a little more since their first meeting - been to the mall, you name it they'd probably done it. Of course there were days when she went out with her friends or he went out with his - he had some very pleasant memories of a time he, Abby, Ziva and Tony had all gone out to a Brain Matter concert on Abbys request - but mostly they stuck together, and playing the strong big brother role for her was starting to take it's toll on him as well.

"Here." The familiar voice of Tony pulled him out of his thoughts as a steaming hot cup of coffee was placed down on the table in front of him, a pack of Nutter Butters placed beside it seconds later. To say Tim was a little surprised was an understatement. He was totally shocked, so much so he sat there in silence for some moments just staring at it suspiciously.

"You owe me five dollars." Tony said bluntly as he went to sit back down on the opposite side of the table, observing McGee with interest as he picked up the cup, scrutinizing it as if he thought he might of spat in it or something.

"I didn't do anything but get it out of a machine McGee." He reassured after another moment of awkward silence as he continued to inspect its contents, eventually looking satisfied that nothing was amiss with it as he took a tentative sip.

"Thanks Tony... l-look, i'm sorry for-"

"I know, you're stressed, happens to everyone sometimes McPerfect." He interrupted as he sat down, pretending to focus on his English paper as he kept an eye on Tim surreptitiously. .

"I guess." He mumbled with a weary smile, obviously relieved that he wasn't going to get a flea in his ear as he leant back in his chair.

"Anything you want to talk about?" Tony pressed after a moment of silence as he looked up, analyzing McGees every move as he looked away in a cagey fashion.

"Not really." He replied curtly, dodging the question as he busied himself with opening the small packet of biscuits that still lay on the table.

"Does it have anything to do with Abby? Because if it does, i'm your-"

"No, it doesn't." He answered almost too quickly, causing Tony to raise his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Oh really? I think you're lying." He said, knowing that he could have possibly overstepped the line at this point, but choosing to go on regardless.

"Well, _I_ think you're wrong." McGee replied, holding the coffee in his right hand as he picked up the pen with his left, trying to focus on the papers in front of him with furrowed brows.

"McGee, i've seen the way you look at her when you think no one else is looking-"

"What way?" He interrupted again, his eyes having widened as he looked up in surprise.

"The way you look at someone you like." Tony said in a hushed voice, not only because what he was talking about was private, but also because he didn't want it to get around the school either. Ruining McGees life wasn't exactly something he was aspiring to right now, not after so many months, however much Tim may believe otherwise.

"Of course I like Abby, she's my best friend." He responded slowly, his eyes once again returning to the papers as he struggled to focus, the words and diagrams meaningless as he stared at them unblinkingly.

"You know what I mean McGee. I first noticed it when we all went to that concert, what was it, Brain something? Brain Haemorrhage?"

"Brain Matter." He corrected before he could stop himself, causing Tony to smirk as he knew he was getting through to him.

"Yeah, that one. You kept looking at her all doe eyed whenever no one else was looking, _and_ you were the only one who said you enjoyed it. You're a terrible liar, do you know that?" He pressured, the smirk that was twitching at his lips growing more pronounced as Tim put the pen down, looking up at him with an almost fearful expression.

"I _did_ enjoy the concert, that's all." He said slowly, struggling to hold the strong eye contact that Tony was making with him.

"Really? Because according to your iPod you mostly listen to The Fray and Julie Andrews." He said matter of factly, causing McGees eyes to widen.

"You've been through my iPod?!" He asked, irritated that Tony had been meddling with his possessions and he hadn't noticed sooner.

"Oh, yeah, I probably forgot to mention that, didn't I? Anyway, somehow I don't think death metal is your normal listening."

"Doesn't mean I can't appreciate it." He mumbled, running his hand through his hair yet again as he closed his eyes, trying to block Tony out in any way he could.

"...You like her, don't you?" He asked in barely more than a whisper, having seen all the hallmarks of someone who was in denial, or at least_ trying_ to be in denial.

"No!" He exclaimed immediately, earning him a look that made clear Tony didn't believe him for even a second. "I... no, I mean... is it that obvious?" He mumbled, so quietly that Tony could barely hear him, his face resting in his hands as he propped his elbows on the table.

"Pretty much." He replied in a softer tone than most people would have been used to hearing from him, work long forgotten as he gazed at him sympathetically_._

"What am I gonna do Tony? I'm hardly her type." He whispered, Tony really starting to feel for him as he looked up, his face pale and tired, obviously pretty shattered.

"Ask her on a date!" He replied slightly too loudly, causing several other students to look at him in an annoyed fashion as he smiled sheepishly yet again.

"W-what, like to d-dinner, or-"

"What are you McGeek, forty?! Invite her to the cinema, or bowling, or even your house, but please, please don't invite her out to _dinner._" He said in as loud a voice he could without drawing attention to himself yet again, McGee looking at him with fatigued eyes as he took a large gulp of coffee.

"Look Tony, i've never done this before, not really-"

"Oh my god, are you still an innocent little McVirgin?" He asked, causing the tips of Tims ears to turn red even in the dim light as he stared down into his coffee cup evasively.

"Okay, okay, we can work with that... wait... have you even _kissed_ a girl before?" He questioned again in an incredulous tone, to which McGee just took another sip of coffee, the blush continuing to his cheeks in way of answer.

"Right, okay, that's... not good... You're an absolute, total beginner?" He said in way of double checking as Tim nodded slightly, still avoiding his gaze studiously as Tony smiled slightly, finding this all rather amusing now.

"Wow, this is worse than I thought. What you need is some serious help." He stated bluntly, leaning back in his chair as McGee looked up at him with puzzled eyes.

"Tony, it's not like i'm ever even going to ask her out in the first place-"

"Shh, i'm thinking." Tony interrupted, making a show of closing his eyes and sighing as he brainstormed.

"I don't think that-"

"Pick up lines!" He cut in yet again as his eyes opened suddenly and he sat up abruptly, as if he'd had an amazing idea.

"What?"

"Pick up lines! Like, uh... '_I'm not a photographer, but I can picture us together_', something like that." He said knowingly, this time leaning forwards across the table as Tim just looked at him in total disbelief.

"They really work?" He asked incredulously, setting the now half empty cup down on the table.

"Well it works for me! You know Jeanne Benoit? Dated her for three weeks last year using that very line." He replied smugly, raising a suggestive eyebrow as he smirked.

"Three weeks. Very impressive." Tim responded dryly, eating one of the biscuits as he did so.

"Three weeks longer than you, McGoo." He responded in turn, suppressing a laugh as he just rolled his eyes in response.

"Look, if you don't want my help that's fine. All I can say is that I don't have girls falling at my feet for nothing..." He said slyly, watching as McGee seemed to have some sort of mental debate, his brow furrowing as he wrung his hands together nervously.

"I do." He mumbled after a long moment of silence, staring down at the papers in front of him rather than at Tony.

"What was that? I don't think I quite heard you th-"

"I said I do want your help." He confessed in a slightly louder tone, still refusing to look up as Tony just smiled to himself.

"Okay then, here's what your gonna have to do..."

* * *

><p>"Timmy? Why are you still here?" A soft voice asked from behind him, and he practically jumped out of his skin, not even having heard the door open.<p>

Currently he was in the IT room, school long over as he continued to type, trying his best to get his paper finished as he rubbed at his eyes tiredly. Though it was technically against school rules the teachers had always had a bit of a soft spot for him - especially as they knew of his troubles at home - so he was often allowed to work in there any time up until they locked up the building. They'd tried to get him to see the school counsellor actually, but honestly he was more of an introverted type of person and talking to a complete stranger about his life didn't strike him as appealing. He was pretty sure Sarah was seeing hers though, even if she'd never explicitly mentioned it...he just _knew_.

"Abby?" He asked, knowing without having to look round who it would be. It had been over an hour since school had finished, so why she was still hanging around was anybody's guess.

"Don't answer a question with a question McGee." She replied with a soft laugh as he spun round in his chair, her bouncy curls framing her face as she smiled at him.

"But why are you here?" He asked, honestly confused as to why she wouldn't be back at her apartment by now. She had seemed to be dealing with the extra work extraordinarily well all things considered, and she certainly didn't seem the type to want to avoid her home, just like McGee was, though he was loathe to admit it.

"I asked Miss Lambert if I could stay late to finish my English paper, and I came through here to double check some facts. Now answer the question." She commanded, perching near him on the edge of a table as he just sighed, holding his face in his hands as he struggled to stay fully compos mentis.

"I need to finish my IT assignment, since it's due tomorrow and everything." He mumbled in fatigue, her face changing to a look of concern as he failed to stifle a wide yawn.

"And that's all there is to it?" She pressured, placing her Caf-Pow! next to her as she spoke softly.

"Yes... well, no, not really." He confessed, looking up at her sleepily as he silently begged her to drop it.

"I'm not going to ask what's wrong, because I can tell you don't want to talk about it...But what I do want to know is how long its been since you last slept properly McGee? You look exhausted." She said in a caring tone, immediately feeling for him as he rubbed at his eyes.

"I don't know, a long time." He mumbled as she hopped up off the table, taking her Caf-Pow! with her as she walked right up to him.

"You need to go home." She said as more of a fact than a suggestion, trying to pull him out of the chair by the arm as he shrugged her off.

"No, I have to finish this before-"

"What you need is sleep. I'll take you home with me if I have to, and then you'll get to feel the full force of Luca's teasing. Now come on." She said, trying again as he stayed put adamantly, much to her annoyance.

"I know you mean well Abs, but I really have to get this done." He said with an exhausted smile, watching as hers slowly softened in defeat and concern, chewing her lower lip as she thought hard. Ever since he'd admitted to himself what he really felt for her he'd been trying his very best to act natural around her, but it was so difficult when she'd make an expression like that and his heart would just melt, as if it was nothing but an intricately made waxwork that someone was holding a candle to.

"Here." She said after a moment of silence, thrusting her Caf-Pow! into his hands before forcefully spinning the chair back around, meaning he was now facing the computer screen again. Taking a gulp of the drink he was just about to turn and thank her when, to his utter surprise, he felt her hugging him from behind. Her head came to rest gently on his shoulder, her hands finding the keyboard as her breath tickled his neck, giving him goosebumps. Having her in this close proximity meant his heart was also now pounding ten to the dozen, so loudly he was sure she must be able to hear it as it hammered against his chest.

"A-Abby, w-what are you d-doing?" He stumbled as he turned his face ever so slightly to gaze at her, a look of shock passing across it as he realised just how _close_ they actually were. Her face was bare inches away from his own as he took in her every feature, from her deep green eyes he was sure he could drown in to her dark pink lips, which were curled into a soft smile as they made eye contact.

"Helping you. Now, how far are you through?" She said in barely more than a whisper, her smile widening as she went back to focusing on the computer screen, as if this was a totally normal thing to be doing with a friend.

"I-I, uh... half way." He mumbled, becoming quite tongue-tied as he struggled to focus on the screen, her fingers already typing rapidly, his hands joining hers after he'd placed the drink down.

"See? Four hands are _way_ better than two." She remarked breathily, her breath warm against his ear as they both typed in surprisingly functional unison.

They remained like this for quite some time, the only sound breaking the silence the tapping of fingers against keys. He wasn't quite sure how long they'd been there, it could honestly have been two hours or only twenty minutes, he was too distracted by her presence to really notice at this point, especially as he was trying desperately to act as if he was totally comfortable and not close to having his heart forcibly break out of his chest.

Pausing to stifle a yawn his hands hovered above the keyboard, wondering if now was the time to work up the nerve and ask her something he may later regret. Turning his head slightly he just gazed at her for a moment out of the corner of his eye, watching as her high pigtails bounced as she typed rapidly, her eyes focused and determined, and her lips sporting a ghost of a smile. Soon enough however she realised that he wasn't writing anymore and turned to look at him in confusion, her forehead creasing under her fringe as she tilted her head to the side. _Well, it was now or never._

"Hey Abby? I-I was wondering if maybe, you'd, y'know, maybe want to-" He stammered, trying to work up the nerve to ask her out just like he'd practised on Tony earlier, in what he could only describe as one of the most embarrassing moments of his life so far. Somehow though pretending Tony was Abby and asking him out was a damn sight different to being faced with the actual object of his affections.

"If i'd want to what, McGee?" She asked slowly, her eyes betraying confusion as she furrowed her brow, pouting slightly as she tried to figure him out. He couldn't seem to put it into words like he had earlier, and soon found himself totally tongue-tied, opening his mouth slightly and then closing it again as no sound came out, a blush quickly rising on his cheeks.

Her expression soon began to change as she was answered with total silence, the smoky smell of her perfume drifting over his senses as her face softened considerably, the pout turning into a vague smile. The sound of his heart hammering against his chest was practically deafening to him now as she seemed to make her decision, leaning ever so slightly closer as her eyes slowly fluttered shut, her lips getting in dangerous proximity with his own. Letting his eyes half close he tried to work up the nerve to lean just that little bit closer-

"Ow!" A yelp came from behind them, Tims eyes snapping open as Abby stumbled backwards in shock, barely managing to stay balanced as she put a more than healthy distance between them.

Whipping his head around in surprise, his eyes couldn't help but widen in shock as he took in what exactly the rude interruption had been. Jimmy was lying flat on his stomach on the floor, obviously after having tripped over, fumbling blindly with one hand for his battered glasses that had left his face somewhere during the fall. However what was more surprising was the presence of Tony lying half on top of him, scrambling to get up as he cursed under his breath. And what really completed the scene was Ziva standing in the doorway, a hand against the doorframe as she scrunched her face up in confusion. All in all it was quite a sight to behold, and Abby couldn't help but let a laugh escape her lips as they all desperately tried to right themselves, Jimmy looking mortified as he finally found his glasses and also took in the scene.

"Uh, McGee! Hi!" Tony said as he brushed himself down sheepishly, grinning awkwardly as he looked between the two of them.

"Do I even want to know?" McGee asked more to himself than anybody else, Jimmy getting to his feet and looking at Tony in a slightly fearful fashion as he also brushed himself down.

"No?" Tony answered for him, the smile still firmly fixed on his face as shifted his weight from one foot to the other, like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

"Tony was lingering outside the door watching you two and whispering something about coffee, and when Jimmy tried to enter he lunged to hold him back, telling him not to ruin-"

"Your, uh... creative process!" Tony finished hastily, clamping a hand over Zivas mouth. She however was having none of it, glaring daggers at him before promptly swiping her tongue over his palm, causing him to recoil in disgust.

"Ew, Zi, really?!" He exclaimed in annoyance as he wiped his hand on his trousers, much to Abbys amusement.

"So it's '_Zi_' now, is it?" She teased the two of them playfully, seemingly unsurprised by their sudden entrance.

"I, uh, is there a reason you're all here?" Tim interrupted, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand as he blinked tiredly, a blush still prominent on his cheeks, one that didn't go unnoticed by an observant Ziva as she smirked.

"We just came to say goodbye to our favourite geeks." Tony said playfully, causing McGees eyes to narrow suspiciously and Abby's eyes to do the exact opposite.

"Are you calling me intelligent DiNozzo?" She asked with mock shock, placing a hand dramatically over her heart as she smiled mischievously.

"That isn't what I said." He responded in an equally teasing manner, causing her eyes to also narrow in a similar expression to McGees.

"And just when I was starting to like you..." She muttered cryptically, her lips forming a straight line as she arched an eyebrow.

"I-I actually only came to ask if you wanted to come back to my house after you're done, I have tons of revising to do and-" Jimmy started, already having been seemingly forgotten by the other occupants of the room as he hovered near them awkwardly.

"Can't you see he's_ busy_, Palmer?" Tony interrupted as he gestured in Tim and Abbys vague direction, sending a frightening glare at Jimmy that made him cower back slightly.

"Y-yeah, I, um, sorry, i'll just... g-go now." Jimmy spluttered, backing up as he said each word until he was halfway out the door, sensing he had walked into a situation he might not be welcome in.

"That wasn't nice Tony." Ziva scolded to which he just rolled his eyes, shrugging as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Well, I think I will be going now too... good luck McGee." She stated abruptly as she tried to extract herself from the situation, her lips curling at the corners as Tim went an even darker shade of crimson at her words, since he could guess _exactly_ what she was talking about.

"Yeah, _good luck McGee_!" Tony mimicked in a high voice, causing Ziva to slap him on the arm in annoyance. However as they both walked towards the door, McGee could have sworn he caught a wink directed at him by a smirking Tony as he glanced over his shoulder.

After they exited this left just him and Abby as a silence hung across the room, weighing down on them both as they made almost hesitant eye contact, neither of them wanting to be the first to speak about what may or may not have been about to happen before they'd been so rudely interrupted. Tony being around to spy on him he should have expected, but why Ziva and Jimmy were around too was anybody's guess.

"So, the assignment?" She asked brightly a long moment later, smiling broadly as she brought up a chair to sit next to him. However there was still a distance that could be classed as '_safe_' between them, their shoulders barely even brushing as they both went back to typing in silence. Slowly time drew onwards, every second feeling like a several minutes to Tim as he kept glancing at her furtively, unsure of if he should say anything at all or just let it go as a mistake on her part, since she seemed to already be acting like it never happened.

"I was thinking of throwing a slumber party." She said completely out of the blue after another few agonizing minutes, causing him to look at her with confusion.

"Abby, it's September. Wouldn't you want to wait for Halloween? It's a bit early- " He asked after a moment, figuring that she'd wait for then since it appeared to be one of her favourite holidays.

"It's never too early for a slumber party!" She exclaimed with a childlike glee, throwing her arms up in the air to emphasise her point.

"But I don't think-"

"You'll come, won't you?" She said as if she was having a sudden doubt, turning to gaze at him with big puppy eyes, jutting her bottom lip out ever so slightly in her best pleading expression, clasping her hands together in front of her.

"Sleepovers aren't really-"

"Please Timmy, for me?" She begged, fluttering her eyelashes in a way that was pretty certain to cloud his judgement. Parties were never exactly his thing - just look how prom had turned out - let alone _slumber parties_. He'd been to one, maybe two at most before, and he couldn't really say he'd ever actually enjoyed them. Then again, when she was looking at him like that it was very hard to say no... _she really did have him wrapped around her little finger, well and truly_.

"Maybe, I mean-"

"Yay, thank you so much! It would be no fun without you." She proclaimed happily, throwing her arms around his neck in a slightly awkward hug that meant she was half on her own chair and half on his.

"I-I didn't actually say yes-"

"Oh, but it'll be great! I'll invite Jimmy, and Ziva, and I guess i'll have to invite Tony too, though only if he promises to keep his wandering eyes to himself, oh, and I can make paper chains, and cupcakes, and we can watch scary movies!" She enthused as she snuggled her head against his neck, listing off all the different things they could do. He just smiled to himself with a slight shake of his head, wondering just how hectic this party could get. A sleepover at Abby's house could well be a recipe for disaster, but for her he was willing to give it a shot, even if the mere thought of spending an entire night with Tony would have scared him silly earlier that very year, and every year before that actually.

Just then an Android Lust song cut through the comfortable silence, a distinctive vibration coming from Abbys backpack as she disentangled herself with a start. Grabbing her bag from where she'd dumped it by her feet she rummaged around for her phone, eventually grabbing hold of it as she checked the caller ID, her breath catching in her throat at something McGee couldn't quite see as she shielded the screen with her hand.

Hesitating a moment as she stared at it she slowly released her breath, stuffing the phone back in her bag as she tossed it carelessly back under the desk. She now seemed to be quite uncomfortable all of a sudden, her hands reaching hastily for the Caf-Pow! they'd been sharing as she gulped down a large quantity, forcing a smile on her face that was so obviously faked it looked like it actually pained her.

"Shouldn't you pick that up?" He asked cautiously as the song continued to assault his ears, to which she just shook her head vigorously, so vigorously that one of her apple green hairbows actually came loose as her hair whipped around her face.

"W-Who is it?" He stammered as she stared at the computer screen, still clutching the drink with one hand as she typed with the other, avoiding his eyes as she shook her head again. He knew he was likely to get pretty much nowhere considering how she was acting, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try.

"Abby." He said firmly, placing a hand on her shoulder as she visibly flinched, her grip around the cup tightening as she continued to sip the drink held within it.

"Ish noone." She mumbled around the straw, her voice muffled and quiet as she stared down at her lap, her hands hesitating above the keyboard.

"Pardon?"

"It's no one." She reiterated as she paused for a moment, slowly leaning her head against his shoulder as he tensed under the sudden contact. Yet she seemed to find his touch somehow reassuring as a ghost of a smile crossed her lips, snuggling into him as he moved his hand from her shoulder to her knee hesitantly, running his thumb across her skin gently.

"Are you o-" He started, knowing that she probably wouldn't tell him what exactly was bothering her until she was ready, no matter how many times he asked.

"And we could all sleep in my room, I could set up mattresses for everyone, and we could make forts and listen to music, and..." She started up again as if nothing had happened, interrupting him as he sighed slightly, realising he wasn't going to be able to get an answer out of her just yet.

_She could really be an enigma to him sometimes..._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So there we go! I know, i'm evil, but I couldn't have it pan out perfectly the first time, could I? Also with the whole thing between Tony and McGee, I thought since such a big joke was made of if Tim had even lost his virginity and his complete lack of experience with girls (especially in the earlier seasons) it was only right to include it in this story. xD**

**Finally, the sleepover will most likely be happening in the next chapter, so if there's anything particular you want to see feel free to suggest it! I have it mostly planned out, but i'm always open to ideas. Au Revoir! :)**


	9. It's A Fine Line

**A/N: Hey! So first off, would you believe this chapter was actually going to be longer than it already is? Actually, you probably can... I was just having way too much fun writing the entire slumber party, so i've decided to set it over two chapters like the prom, so the chapters don't get to a ridiculous length. As for the suggestions i'm pretty sure I can integrate a few of them, so thank you for those! Finally, thank you so much to mcgeeksgirl, Rising-Midnight, ncismcabbyfan101, TivaJisbonGSR, ed13, and Stella25047 for reviewing! You are all amazing for doing so, and it really motivates me to write when I see how much people are enjoying this. :)**

**Anyway, without further ado, here's the next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I really wish I did own NCIS, as if I did they would have an entire flashback episode dedicated to all of the teams high school days. Alas I don't, so I can only write this fanfiction and dream! I also don't own anything else that is recognizable. :3**

* * *

><p>"Tim, are you still here?" A shaky voice called to McGee through his bedroom door, which was firmly shut as he attempted to block out the sounds of his parents arguing for the upteenth time that day. He'd hoped that today would be one of their rare 'quiet' days, as he had woken up that morning to absolute silence, something that was very unusual recently. However it had been a foolish hope as they'd started up again around two hours ago, though it was now early evening which at least meant he could play music quite loudly to drown them out without getting reprimanded.<p>

"Yeah, come in." He replied softly as he paused what he was doing, looking up in concern as Sarah's tearstained face poked itself round the door. He had been quite busy packing a small overnight bag that he'd borrowed from her to use for Abbys 'slumber party' that night, but right now he knew his sister needed him.

This had turned into somewhat of a regular occurrence of late, their parents would argue, Sarah would try to split them up or just sit in her room with her headphones in until she couldn't take it any longer and seek him out.

Putting down his toothbrush he opened his arms out for her as she padded over slowly, clutching at his shirt as she buried her face in his shoulder, the fabric soon becoming damp with her salty tears.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." He mumbled reassuringly, petting her hair as she tightened her grip, her hand balled into fists as she sobbed loudly. It was no secret he was getting very worried about her, especially as she seemed to have become more reclusive of late, going from the outgoing, sassy little sister he knew and loved to more of a quiet, reserved type.

"I-It's not t-though..." She choked out as he gently pushed her backwards a bit, his hands finding her shoulders as he looked into her red, puffy eyes.

"Everything is going to be fine, trust me." He stated, trying to sound truthful even though he knew he couldn't possibly know if everything was going to turn out. However it was obviously what she wanted to hear as she nodded slightly, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand as he tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

"Now, where's that smile huh?" He coaxed as she forced a small smile onto her face, a slight giggle escaping her lip as she tried to blink away some of the stray tears that were still making their way in steady streams down her cheeks.

"You see? Better already." He said as he smiled back at her broadly, though in reality that's the last thing he wanted to do. What he really wanted to do was storm downstairs and make his parents see just how much their arguing was affecting those around them, but he knew he would only cause more harm than good by doing so, especially for Sarah.

Stifling a sigh he gently released her shoulders as she went to sit on his bed, gazing through bleary eyes at the overnight bag that was already almost full.

"D-do you h-have to go?" She stumbled in barely more than a whisper, causing Tim to wonder if he'd even heard her right. Looking at the small clock on his desk he realised it was already almost quarter to eight, and Abby had insisted everybody be there by half past eight, or '_face her wrath_'.

Looking at Sarah with saddened eyes he realised despite how much he wanted to go he couldn't just leave her like this. Abby may have been going on about the sleepover for literal weeks, but he knew his sister needed him right now, now more than ever. He was the only member of the family she could properly talk to, and he couldn't just abandon her in such a state.

Looking down at the bag and then back at the clock again, an idea suddenly struck him, one he was surprised he hadn't thought of earlier.

"Go pack a bag." He said abruptly as he walked over to her, helping to pull her to her feet as she gazed at him in confusion.

"W-What?" She asked, tilting her head slightly as she blinked, trying to clear her vision.

"I said go pack a bag, you're coming with me." He repeated with a smile, her face breaking out into a grin as she dashed out of the room faster than he'd have thought possible, the sound of her footsteps fading quickly as she ran to her room. Bringing her along to an 'Abby' sleepover might turn out to be a mistake, but he knew he couldn't leave her here, as his parents would surely be to wrapped up in their own petty arguments to pay her any attention, attention she obviously needed.

He hadn't seen a smile quite like that on her face for a while, so he was happy to see it again, though he was a little confused as to why she was so excited considering she still wasn't exactly keen on Abby. Maybe she really was that happy to not have to stay here tonight, the prospect of a night without the sound of shouted retorts and bitter remarks obviously having quite the appeal.

Turning back to the bag he double checked that he had everything that he could possibly need before zipping it up, smiling despite himself as he looked at the design again. The bag wasn't very _him_ so to speak, considering it was his sisters it was dark red, covered in intertwining pink roses and finished off with a deep pink zipper and matching straps. He knew he was going to get flack from Tony for it, but he didn't really have anything suitable, so thus he'd had to ask Sarah, who had given him probably the girliest bag she owned just to see him squirm. But he loved her for it regardless.

Reaching for the pyjamas he'd laid out on the bed he decided to just change into them now, since everyone else would surely be turning up in their pajamas anyway. Changing out of his current outfit he slipped the plain dark green t-shirt on over his head, pulling the grey pajama bottoms on underneath before putting his shoes back on.

Hitching the bag onto his shoulder he left his room as quickly as he could, walking across the landing as he tried to block out the shouting that drifted up to him. Getting to Sarahs door he knocked before opening it a crack, watching in amusement as she hurriedly chucked her essentials into a very similar bag to the one he was holding.

"Almost done!" She said as she looked at him over her shoulder with surprisingly bright eyes, and he noted that she'd already changed into her pajamas. They consisted of a pair of old tartan pajama bottoms that he was sure she'd had for years, and a matching red spaghetti strap top, which she'd slung a jacket over and paired all of it with a pair of boots not dissimilar to ones he was used to seeing Ziva wear, when she wasn't forced to wear mary janes. She'd also slung her hair up into a messy ponytail, loose bits of hair slipping out of the bobble and curling around her face softly.

"It's only for a night Sarah, not a week." He quipped as she stuffed her makeup pouch into the side of the almost full to bursting bag, before zipping it up hurriedly.

"Ready!" She exclaimed happily, seemingly much cheerier than she had been only a few minutes before as she bounded over to him, her bag swinging from her hand lazily.

"Come on then." He said with a slight smile, letting her pass through the door first before he followed close behind, cringing as the raised voices continued to hurl insults at each other, each insult worse than the last.

Stumbling forwards he almost fell over as Sarah stopped dead in front of him, her body tense as she also heard the nasty argument that was occurring. Placing a hand on her shoulder he watched as she flinched under his touch, remaining still as if she was rooted to the spot.

"Sarah, it's not your fault." He whispered, knowing exactly what was going through her mind as both of their names were spat out, the topic of the disagreement obviously having turned to them.

"Then why are they always fighting? There has to be a reason..." She mumbled as he stepped forwards so he was now in front of her, taking her hand gently in his as she looked up with sad eyes.

"If it's anyones fault, it's mine. I'm the one who has no intention of going into the Navy like dad wants... if anything you're the glue holding us all together." He said softly, tugging on her hand as they crept down the stairs quietly, like they used to when they were children.

They'd liked to sneak around and pretend they were spies or something similar when they were little, a game that used to keep them entertained for hours on end. The two of them had always been close since she was a toddler, especially after their parents marriage had started to show cracks in its once flawless exterior. That had just brought them closer together really, each others rock when things got tough. Or more, Sarah thought she was Tims rock. In reality he often kept a lot from her, especially in relation to their parents or his feelings. He honestly believed she was burdened enough for her young age as it was, so he kept quite a bit to himself. That didn't mean however he didn't ever confide in her, as he often did, just not as much as he'd have her believe.

Trying not to draw too much attention to themselves they continued down the staircase, Tim now smiling slightly as he reminisced.

"Glue is only needed to hold something together that's already broken." She murmured from behind him, his heart breaking for her as she sighed deeply, teh smile dropping off of his face as quickly as it had appeared.

"We're not broken yet Sarah." He reassured as they made it to the foot of the stairs, hovering in the hallway as Tim tried to decide between just leaving and apologising later or making their departure known now.

However he didn't even have time to choose as his father stormed out into the hallway, his face a look of pure rage as he spotted the two of them.

"And just where do you two think you're going?!" He roared at them, making Sarah cower slightly as she gripped his hand tighter. His temper was positively scary sometimes, and though he knew he would never actually hurt them he certainly instilled a lot of fear.

"W-We were just going t-to a sleepover?" He stammered as more of a question than an answer, earning him a long stare that obviously meant they weren't going to get away easily.

"And when exactly was I going to hear about this?!" He shouted, Lucy appearing behind him, her hands balled into fists as she came to see what all the commotion was about.

"Sarah, wait for me outside." Tim commanded as he released her hand, gesturing vaguely to the door behind them as he forced a small smile on his face.

"No, I-" She started, shaking her head as she folded her arms across her chest defiantly.

"Just wait outside Sarah, Timothy will be out in a minute." Lucy said with that feigned serene quality that she had come to possess recently, smiling as she also gestured to the door.

"But I don't-"

"No buts." Tim said in a low tone, watching as his father fumed silently, obviously getting ready for another shouting match. Taking the hint she finally conceded, her eyes downcast as she opened the door, heading out into the crisp night air, closing it with a bang behind her.

"You have no right to keep things from me Timothy! Were you just going to take your sister and leave?!" His father shouted, his eyes narrowing as he took a step forwards, infringing on Tims personal space as he took a shaky step backwards.

"N-no, I was a-about to t-tell you-"

"Well it looked to me like you were trying to sneak out!" He interrupted, his mother placed a calming hand on his arm that he angrily shook off.

"Who's hosting this sleepover Tim?" She asked in a soft tone, smiling encouragingly as she shot daggers at John out of the corners of her eyes. He on the other hand looked like if he could get any angrier smoke would start pouring out of his ears. Tim knew it wasn't his departure that was the real problem here, but that wasn't making it any easier on him.

"J-Just a friend." He stuttered defensively, not wanting to name Abby for fear his father would go off the deep end, not that he hadn't already. From what he'd seen he hadn't exactly taken to Abby no matter how many time she came round, and somehow the idea of saying that he was going to spend the night at her place made McGees stomach churn.

"Does this friend have a name?" She pressed in a slightly firmer tone, realising that he was cagey for some reason. And if there was anything his mother was good at, it was knowing when someone was keeping something from her. She always had been good at that, ever since they were children.

"A-Abby." He said nervously, looking anywhere but at his parents as they both went to respond at the same time.

"Oh, well she's a sweet girl-" His mother started with a surprisingly genuine smile, that soon changed to a look of annoyance as his father interrupted her.

"The goth? You're honestly taking your little sister round to hang out with _her_?!" He hollered, making Tim flinch back in surprise at his strong reaction.

"W-What's wrong with A-Abby?" He stumbled, furrowing his brow as his father chuckled hollowly, like he'd just said something really stupid.

"What's _not_ wrong with her?" He fired back, making Lucys eyes flash dangerously as she placed a warning grip on his shoulder.

"That's enough John, leave the boy alone." She said in a worryingly low voice, one that Tim knew from experience was your cue to shut up before things got really nasty.

"And I suppose you're okay with this?" He questioned, turning to her with fiery eyes as she nodded once, a forced smile on her face that came across as quite sickly sweet, in a decidedly sarcastic way.

"He's seventeen, let him-"

"And Sarah?" He interrupted yet again, Lucy's eyes growing ever darker as she bit her tongue to stop herself from losing her temper in front of Tim. She'd never liked doing that, the issues were between her and John, dragging their children into it was the last thing she wanted to do.

"He'll take care of her, he always does." She responded bluntly, her tone so low that it was actually difficult to discern as she glanced at Tim with something akin to sympathy in her eyes.

"Lucy, that's-"

"Go on, your sister will be getting cold." She cut John off with an icy look, gesturing to the door again with a very small smile at Tim. Timothy didn't need to be told twice as he turned round quickly, bolting out the door before they could change their mind, shouting erupting from behind him as he closed the door to block it out before it reached Sarah.

Speaking of Sarah he was surprised to see she wasn't waiting outside the door, instead leaning against his car with a pensive look on her face, an almost wistful glint in her eyes as she crossed her arms against the cold. Fishing the car keys out of his pocket he jangled them together, catching her attention as he smiled softly.

"Ready?" He asked as she grinned, nodding enthusiastically as he opened the door for her before getting into the drivers seat himself.

The car ride was short, and relatively quiet, the only sound the whirring of the engine and the occasional conversation Sarah would strike up, mostly about his friends. She'd already met Jimmy quite a few times, and she'd also met Tony and Abby once or twice, but mostly they still remained a mystery to her. In fact she'd never met Ziva at all, and by the sounds of it she thought she sounded cool.

All too soon they were pulling into the small carpark behind the apartment block, turning off the ignition as they both hopped out of the car, Sarah seemingly quite excited by now.

Heading into the building he walked towards the elevator, Sarah hot on his heels as he got in, jabbing the '16' button as the doors slid shut again. Briefly he flashed back to the last time he'd been in this very lift, otherwise known as prom night. Just the very thought of that was enough to make him blush, causing Sarah to look at him in concern.

"You okay Tim?" She asked, noting his crimson tinted cheeks as he turned to look at her in surprise.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, i'm fine." He said vaguely after a few moments, silently willing the doors to open again to save him from the questions that would surely follow. His prayers were thankfully answered as they pinged open, revealing the familiar looking corridor.

Stepping out into the corridor they soon made their way to Abbys door, Tims hand hesitating for a moment before he knocked twice. Practically instantaneously the door was flung open and he was attacked by a blur of black hair, Abbys arms wrapping around him tightly as she succeeded in cutting off his air supply.

"A-Abby, c-can't breathe." He choked out, Abby immediately letting him go as her eyes widened apologetically.

"Oh my gosh, i'm so sorry! But it's great to see you Timmy, Ziva's here already, and Tony's still-" She started, stopping abruptly as Sarah edged into view from where she'd been behind him in the corridor.

"I-I was wondering if it was alright if Sarah came too, I totally understand if it's not though, but our parents, are, uh, busy and-" He started to ramble, giving Abby a run for her money as he avoided her gaze and looked down at the floor.

"Of course it's okay, the more McGees the merrier." She agreed after a moment, much to his surprise. Looking up again he noticed her eyes had grown softer, understanding even as she stepped back, allowing them both to cross the threshold as she smoothed down her tartan skirt almost self consciously.

Though he'd dropped her off or picked her up a few times here he'd never actually been _inside_ of Abby's apartment, so this was an entirely new experience for him. The hallway he was currently standing in was atmospherically lit, the carpet a pale cream colour, family photos hanging in frames along the similarly coloured walls. The smell of baking was strong in the air as Abby gesticulated for them to make themselves at home in the pale blue living room, where Ziva was seated on the floor, playing a game of Patience silently as she appeared deep in thought. Even the loud music blasting out of the speakers didn't seem to faze her as she just smiled wistfully.

"Hey Ziva." McGee said as he entered the room, watching as she looked up with a small smile on her face. Her hair was loose and curly around her shoulders, much like when she'd appeared that very first day at Bleakwood, though her attire was rather more surprising to him. She was wearing a relatively modest powder blue babydoll style top, which had spaghetti straps and was gathered in under her bust with a small bow, before flaring out into a ripples of fabric that fell to her mid thigh. Under that she was wearing matching cropped bottoms, which ended just above her knee. All in all she looked far more..._ feminine_ than he would have expected, and he couldn't help but let the shock show on his face.

"Do not look so surprised McGee, I could still kill you with _this_," She paused, picking up one of the many cards she had laid out in front of her. "Playing card." She finished, smiling as she twirled it between her fingers almost menacingly, causing McGees expression to become slightly fearful.

"And who is this?" Ziva asked as she spotted Sarah behind him, smiling as she watched the scene before her.

"Oh, i'm Sarah, his sister." She introduced herself, dumping her bag on the floor as she walked over to Ziva with a smile on her face. She'd heard great things about Ziva, including her ability to scare her brother and his friends witless with just a couple of words.

"Ah, I have heard of you!" Ziva exclaimed, patting the spot next to her on the floor as Sarah obliged, soon getting lost in conversation as she smiled and laughed occasionally.

Smiling to himself Tim was happy they seemed to get on. That was one less thing to worry about anyway. Deciding to go re-find Abby, he stepped back out into the hallway he'd seen her disappear down a few moments earlier.

"Luca!" A deafeningly loud voice exclaimed, and if he didn't know better he would have said the walls had shaken slightly.

"What is it Abby? Our parents may be deaf, but i'm not y'know." The voice of Luca remarked smartly as he passed McGee and drifted into what he could only assume to be the kitchen. Following behind him Tim soon found himself in what he could now confirm as the kitchen, where Abby was neatly arranging cupcakes on a large tray. They were all very uniform, with black icing swirled on the top of them and little pumpkin decorations placed atop each one, in true Abby style. It may not be Halloween yet, but she was certainly embracing the spirit of it all.

"Did you eat one of my cupcakes? Because if you did, I _will_ find out, one way or another." She said in an accusatory tone, staring Luca down as he moved around a worktop to stand opposite her.

"No?" He replied playfully, knowing all too well that he was caught as he smirked.

"What did I tell you? They were for my _guests_, and as far as I know you still live here, unfortunately!" She shot back, though not unkindly as she shook her head, trying to keep the smile off her face that was already twitching at the corners of her lips.

"Oh, McGee, could you help me with these please?" She said as she noticed his presence, balancing the tray precariously with one hand as she tried to pick up a bowl of tortilla chips with the other.

Realising that she was almost certainly going to drop one of the two he quickly hurried to her aid, taking the huge tray from her as she smiled gratefully.

"Thanks Timmy! Could you just take those through to the living room?" She asked brightly, grinning as she moved towards the doorway with the bowl she was holding.

"_Thanks Timmy!_" Luca mocked in a high voice, earning him one of the darkest looks Tim had ever seen from a very annoyed looking Abby. Needless to say, it stopped him from continuing down that particular path.

Just then the chiming of the doorbell grabbed her attention, and Luca breathed a sigh of relief as she became distracted.

"Ooh, that'll be Tony or Jimmy!" She exclaimed happily, her high plaits swinging back and forth as she jogged for the door.

Following her down the hall a few moments later Tim realised it was infact Tony, who had already started to make obscure movie references as he stood in the doorway, holding the bowl of tortilla chips that had just been thrust into his hands.

Veering into the living room once again Tim was pleased to see Ziva and Sarah still deep in conversation, the game of Patience long forgotten as they laughed and joked like they'd been friends for years. He just hoped she wasn't telling her any embarrassing stories from his childhood years, of which there were many.

Setting the tray down on the glass topped coffee table he turned to find Tony already behind him, grinning from ear to ear as he put the bowl down next to it. He was wearing a grey tank top with some sort of sports logo on it, accompanied by a pair of navy blue checkered boxer shorts, over the top of which he'd layered a jacket that he was just slipping off.

"Hey, McFlowerPower! Nice bag you got there." He teased, pointing at the bag he'd dumped by the doorframe earlier, next to Sarahs.

"Ha ha, very funny Tony." He muttered dryly, causing Tony to just chuckle goodnaturedly as he picked up a cupcake.

"I didn't know you were allowed to bring a date, or I would've-" He joked as he gestured at Sarah, before Tim cut him off with the most menacing look he could muster, which had apparently succeeded in shutting him up. Or, it might actually have been Ziva who had succeeded in that as Tony took a double take, realising what exactly she was wearing. McGee just smirked to himself as Tony literally choked on the cupcake he'd just taken a bite of, obviously more than a little surprised.

"Who took the real Ziva, and where is she?" Tony spluttered incredulously, causing Ziva to look up at the mention of her name.

"Are my ears on fire?" She asked with a smile, causing Sarah to look at her in confusion and Tony to just smirk, chuckling loudly.

"The term is '_ears burning_' Zee-vah, not on fire." He corrected, his eyes taking in every inch of her as she scowled, getting to her feet.

"Whatever, To-ny." She responded, taking slow, deliberate steps towards him until she was right in front of him, her face coming dangerously close to his as she smiled mischievously, plucking the half eaten cupcake out of his hand, smirking as it was his turn to scowl. McGee could have sworn Tonys cheeks had gone slightly red even in this dim lighting, but he quickly dismissed the idea, as _no one_ had ever even seen Tony lady-killer DiNozzo blush before, or lived to tell the tale at least. There was definite tension in the air now as she bit into it and chewed thoughtfully for a moment, before turning on her heel and returning to her place on the floor as if nothing had happened, leaving a stunned Tony in her wake.

"What exactly is this music?" Sarah piped up after a long moment of awkward silence, her expression somewhat negative as she debated whether to get up and turn it off or not.

"Oh that's - what was it again McLoverBoy? Oh yes, _Brain Matter_." Tony answered with an exaggerated snap of his fingers, a blush quickly rising on McGees cheeks as Tony just smirked in amusement.

"Something you are not telling us McGee?" Ziva said seriously, looking between the two of them, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"N-No, just another one of Tonys j-jokes." He stammered, obviously convincing no one as Ziva just grinned and Sarah's eyes narrowed, her mouth set in a thin line as she guessed what everyone was implying.

"Oh, but you see, McRomeo here has a bit of a thing for-"

"A thing for what?" Another voice interrupted from the doorway, and at that moment everybody tensed, Tony and Tim turning slowly towards the owner of the voice as if they were in a horror movie.

However, rather unlike a horror movie, they were met with the sight of Abby standing in the doorway, except her attire had dramatically changed since they'd last seen her only a few minutes ago. She'd swapped the t-shirt she had been wearing for a deep purple camisole top, made out of satin with black lace edging the neckline and the hem. Replacing the mini skirt was a short pair of bloomer style shorts, made of the same satin and once again hemmed with black lace, and to finish off the look she'd let her hair out into wavy bunches, which framed her face elegantly.

Not only had Tony's jaw dropped by this point but McGees had also, as she just smiled coyly at them, sashaying into the room with confidence.

"See something you like, Timmy?" She said flirtatiously as she approached him, everybody else now watching the scene unfold in silence, including Sarah who looked a little like she wanted the ground to swallow her up. Somehow, watching _her_ big brother being approached in such a provocative manner made her feel pretty embarrassed for even being there to witness it. Then again, that wasn't to say she wasn't pleased for him, it was just that she could feel that she wouldn't be the only girl in his life for that much longer. It was selfish really, but she desperately wanted him to always be there for her. He was the only close family she had left to talk to now, considering her parents seemed to pay her hardly any attention anymore.

"N-No?" He stuttered, Abbys eyebrows beginning to raise dangerously as she placed a hand on her hip, making Tony snicker from behind his hand as he tried desperately to muffle his laughter.

"I mean y-yes?" He corrected as he realised with growing horror he'd obviously given the wrong answer, to which she just smiled flirtatiously.

"Close your mouth McGee, you'll catch flies." Abby stated with a laugh, using her index finger to push his jaw up as the others struggled to contain their laughter at his expense.

Just then he was literally saved from more embarrassment by the bell, the doorbell ringing out for the second time as Abby spun round on her heel swiftly, bounding towards the door.

"I'll get it!" Abby exclaimed as Ziva went to get the door, the blur of purple and black flying past her as she just stood there, a little stunned at her enthusiasm.

"Jimmy!" The excited squeal could be heard, and McGee started to wonder just how many Caf-Pow!s she'd downed in the last couple of hours, since she seemed to be practically bouncing off the walls in excitement. Probably more than was even remotely healthy, judging by the empty cups littering this room, the kitchen, and god knows where else.

Just then a very flustered Jimmy stumbled into the room, and Tim couldn't help but laugh along with Tony at the sight. He was dressed in a dark blue t-shirt, with black jogging bottoms underneath, and a plain jacket slung over the top. However, that wasn't what was amusing them, rather more the messiness of his hair, the fact that his glasses were askew, and that his face was beet-red. Any outsider would have said he'd obviously had some sort of private encounter, but everyone in the present company knew that was just the aftermath of a particularly enthusiastic Abby hug.

"H-Hey G-Guys." He stammered with wide eyes, dropping his bag just on the inside of the doorframe as he made no move to continue into the room, obviously still somewhat dazed.

"Been having fun Palmer?" Tony teased as Jimmy visibly tensed up, shaking his head vigorously.

"N-no, Abby just threw herself at me and I didn't know what to do, and-" He started, frantically trying to explain, much to Tony's amusement.

"I know, we've all had that experience today." He said surprisingly kindly, laughing as Abby barged past Jimmy, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet with excitement.

"So, Twister anyone?"

* * *

><p>"I do not believe this is suitable for your ears." Ziva stated, clasping her hands over Sarahs ears as she tried to squirm away, Tony rattling on about his first sexual encounter, which Luca had made the mistake of asking about, much to Abbys absolute horror.<p>

They had played several very competitive games of Twister already, followed by several rounds of Never Have I Ever, then some very awkward prank calls, and now they had finally made it to Truth or Dare, which was by far becoming the highlight of the night.

Looking on in amusement as Tony finally rounded off his story, a smile crept onto Abby's face as she surveyed everybody elses around the circle. Sarah looked annoyed at missing out, Ziva looked surprisingly unfazed, and Jimmy and McGee looked honestly horrified, like they'd both just had the last shreds of their innocence brutally torn from them.

"So, McGeek, truth or dare?" Tony asked him with a sly smirk, and Abby immediately regretted even having started this game. Playing truth or dare with _Tony_ could quite possibly be mentally scarring for poor Tim, regardless of which option he chose. _To be honest, the last story Tony had told had probably scarred all of them anyway..._

"Dare." He replied after a long moment, surprising Tony as his smirk turn into an even more mischievous grin. She supposed dare was probably easier for him than truth, as god knows what Tony would want to know about. Actually, she had a pretty good idea what Tony would ask about, though it was far from appropriate for the younger teens in the room.

Looking up at the clock absentmindedly she realised it was already half past ten, much to her surprise. Then again they probably had been playing for quite a while now, but what with there being so many people in the game each person had only answered a truth question or performed a dare a couple of times at most.

"I dare you to... kiss the most attractive person in this room." He said slowly, a smug smile firmly planted on his face as he sent a sidelong glance at a now nervous looking McGee. Infact Tony had been acting awfully shifty for quite some time now, even for him it was a little disconcerting, especially as he kept smirking like he knew something she didn't, which was slowly but surely driving her nuts.

"Okay.." He agreed slowly, obviously trying very hard not to show how uncomfortable that particular dare made him as he got to his feet, eyes darting around the circle nervously. If Abby hadn't known any better she would have said he might actually be a bit fearful of this dare, as he kept sending anxious glances at Tony. Unless of course McGee thought Tony was the most attractive person in the room, which would certainly be a turn-up for the books.

After another couple of awkward moments Tims eyes rested on her, and she started to realise just how stressed this dare was making him as he bit his lip uneasily. Letting a reassuring smile curl at the corners of her lips she tilted her head to the side as he took a tentative step towards her, much to Tony's amusement.

After a few more apprehensive steps he ended up in front of her, crouching down so their faces were level. Gazing into his deep green eyes she noticed just how tenderly he was looking at her, but also how tense he was as he reached a shaky hand towards her, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear before cradling the side of her face with one hand. Much to her surprise her skin felt warm under his feather-light touch, and she realised with growing horror she might actually be blushing. But why would she be? She hardly ever blushed, only really when she was deeply embarrassed, which was a rarity in itself. _So why did she suddenly feel so flushed?_

Then before she could even realise what was happening he was tilting her face to one side, planting a slow, soft kiss on her cheek that made her heart flutter a little, though for what reason she wasn't quite sure. After a long moment he pulled back, a deep crimson blush already blooming on his cheeks as he quickly backed away. Subconsciously pressing her hand against her cheek she glanced across the circle at where he'd already retaken his seat hurriedly, staring at the floor studiously as Tony scowled in annoyance.

"That wasn't a kiss McPrude!" He stated loudly, Sarahs eyebrows arching in surprise as Luca just chuckled loudly from across the circle.

"Y-You didn't say _where_ Tony." He reminded him quietly, still not daring to look up as Tony just shook his head in mock disappointment, tutting under his breath all the while.

However, Abby was far too taken up in her thoughts to pay much attention at this point, a million thoughts swirling around her head. _Did this mean Tim really thought she was the most attractive person in the room? Or was she just the person he was most at ease with?_ Sure, quite a few of the people she'd met in the past seemed to find her attractive in some way, normally due to the way she looked and dressed rather than her personality, but _Ziva_ was more... conventionally pretty she guessed, the kind of girl you wouldn't be afraid to take home to meet your parents. Well, until she opened her mouth that is.

Anyway, Ziva was far more the type she thought McGee would have gone for, so she was surprised to say the least.

Though it wasn't just that one subject that was bothering her at the moment, oh no. The way his lips had lingered on her skin slightly longer than necessary, what had been up with that? Maybe she was overthinking it, but that really wasn't the way you'd kiss someone who you only thought was a friend, was it? If it had been Tony or Jimmy it wouldn't have felt the same at all, that she was sure of.

But she'd _blushed_. As in, actually blushed. Pale, I-use-a-parasol-whenever-it-sunshines Abigail Sciuto had actually got a bit hot and bothered by it all. And that was starting to worry her-

"It's your turn." The not so subtle hissing of Tony filtering into her thoughts brought her out of them as he elbowed McGee in the ribs, trying to prompt him to continue the game.

"Oh, uh, Ziva, truth or dare?" McGee asked hesitantly, seemingly glad that there was no longer an awkward silence hanging in the air.

"Hmm... truth, I think." She responded pensively, knowing McGee wouldn't choose something completely obscene for her to answer, unlike a certain jock she knew.

"What's your family like back in Israel?" He asked innocently as she very noticeably tensed, the mood in the room shifting almost immediately as she swallowed dryly.

"They are... nice. Yes, very nice." She replied shortly, keeping her expression neutral as she folded her hands neatly in her lap.

"What are your siblings like?" Abby cut in, her curiosity getting the better of her as Ziva looked up in surprise.

"I believe that is two questions... that is against the rules, yes?" She asked in a gentler tone, smiling as Abby started to pout.

"_Pleeease?_ We know hardly anything about you!" She pressured, realising this may not be the best idea but also knowing that there wouldn't likely be another opportunity for her to ask, as Ziva would probably just dodge the question at any other time.

"Well... there is Tali, my little sister. She is fourteen... you know, you actually remind me of her a little." She said, gesturing at Sarah as she smiled in response, happy with that comparison.

"Anyway, she is very compassionate, and looks a lot like our mother. She dreams of being a singer, so much so that when she heard I was coming to America she made me promise to '_immerse myself in the musical culture_' as much as I could." She said with a little laugh, her face returning to that wistful look it had possessed earlier as she gazed off into the middle distance.

"And then there is my half-brother, Ari. He is... uh... he is very... he has aspirations to medical college." She finished abruptly, seeming unwilling to talk about him as her expression turned dark. Realising this was probably a good time to change the subject Abby jumped in, trying to get things back on track.

"So, Ziva, your turn!" She interjected quickly, smiling as Ziva seemed to suddenly snap out of her thoughts and her expression turned neutral.

"Uh, Abby, truth or dare?" She asked, her emotions once again hidden as Abby fruitlessly tried to read her.

"Truth." She replied confidently, though soon wondering if that was the right choice to make as Zivas lips curled into a devilish smirk.

"If you and someone else in this room were the only two people left alive on earth, who would you pick to be the other person, and why?" Ziva asked, arching an expectant eyebrow as Abby chewed on her lip thoughtfully.

"Timmy." She said slowly, making him look up at her in surprise, as everyone else just smiled knowingly.

"And why would that be, Abbs?" Tony pressurised as she smirked in response.

"Well, let's just say we wouldn't be the only two people for long." She said flirtatiously, sending a sly wink in McGees general direction as everyone else burst out in hysterics. She literally had no idea where that line had even come from, some dark recess of her mind that she hadn't managed to filter in time. _Wow Abby, no really, way to go._

"O-or I could choose Sarah, since, y'know, McGee w-would never forgive me if I didn't look after his baby sister!" She added on the end hurriedly, trying desperately to backtrack, and fast. Unfortunately for her though everyone was still laughing loudly at her expense, except Tim who had an unreadable expression on his face, though she could just about see a blush tinting the tips of his ears if she squinted.

"Hey, why not me?! I'm your brother!" Luca piped up from the opposite side of the circle, folding his arms indignantly.

"I don't like you enough." She shot back playfully, sticking her tongue out at him as he just huffed in response, looking away in mock anger.

"Technically McGeek here would be dead, so I don't think he'd be worried about his sister-"

"I know, but i'd rather he died happily than live in misery." She interrupted Tony, shrugging as a small smile graced her face.

"Can we stop talking about my death now?" Tim cut in, asking no one in particular as he looked around the circle despairingly.

"Yes, I do believe that is enough of that." Ziva agreed loudly.

"So, Abby, it is your go." She said, trying to get the game back on track as she turned to her, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Hmm... Jimmy, truth or dare?" Abby eventually asked after deliberating for a few moments, watching as Jimmy obviously tried to decide which was the lesser of the two evils.

"Dare." He finally replied, to which her face lit up. _She had just the dare for him..._

"Give your phone to the person on your left and let them send a text to one of your contacts." She said with a mischievous grin, watching as his expression changed to one of fear.

"Y-you mean Tony?" He queried, eyes bulging and looking so honestly uncomfortable that Abby almost regretted picking on him in the first place.

"Yes, I mean Tony." She confirmed, watching a grin spread over Tony's face as Jimmy handed him his phone with slightly shaky hands.

"Hmm, who to chose, who to chose..." Tony hummed to himself as he scrolled through all the contacts, making Palmer very on edge as he fidgeted, occasionally trying to sneak a peek at the screen.

"Ah, perfect." He said cryptically after another few moments, pulling up a contact and starting to type rapidly, smirking all the while.

"Aaaand... done!" He exclaimed some minutes later, holding the phone out of Jimmy's reach as he instantly lunged for it to see just who he'd texted and what he'd written.

"I do believe that I may have just bagged you a date with one '_Michelle_' next week." He said smugly as he handed the phone back to a stunned looking Jimmy, who's mouth hung slightly agape as his eyes widened in a comical fashion behind his glasses.

"Y-You what?!" He asked incredulously, scrolling to the text that Tony had sent with almost scared eyes, that quickly softened as he breathed a sigh of relief. Just then the phone buzzed in his hand, signalling a reply that was obviously positive as his face broke out into a wide grin.

"Thanks Tony!" Jimmy said with a surprising amount of gratitude in his voice, making Abby wonder what exactly the text had said.

"Don't I get to see?" She asked with a pout, unfortunately too far away to try and grab the phone from him.

"No." Tony replied with a smirk, shaking his head in a '_tough luck_' manner.

"You're no fun." She said, jutting out her bottom lip as she folded her arms across her chest with a deep sigh.

"So, Sarah, truth or dare?" Jimmy asked, the grin still fixed on his face as he pocketed the phone.

"Truth." She answered confidently, grinning straight back at him as he struggled to think of a good question.

"What was the last lie you told?" He asked, watching as her grin faded to a more cagey expression.

"The last lie...uh... i'm pretty sure it was '_I'm fine_'." She answered solemnly, Jimmy starting to wonder if he'd said the wrong thing or not as she stared at her hands. She was definitely avoiding McGees gaze now, as he looked at her with something between sadness and worry in his eyes... and Abby could guess exactly what he was thinking.

"So, uh, Tony, truth or dare?" Sarah asked after another few moments of awkward silence, changing the subject as she plastered on another smile, this one far more forced than the last.

"Dare." He said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood as her eyes turned quite mischievous.

"I dare you to kiss Ziva... on the mouth." She said with a self-satisfied smirk, watching as the grin dropped off his face as fast as it had appeared, his expression turning to a mix of shock and quite possibly denial.

"What?!" He asked incredulously, earning a sassy smile from Sarahs end as she tilted her head to the side. Now Abby could see where _all_ of the confidence genes of the family had gone to.

"Come now Tony, am I really all that repulsive?" Ziva called over to him playfully, getting to her feet as she slowly paced towards him, a sly smile twitching at her lips as he also got to his feet quite unsteadily.

Abby just watched on with a faint smile as they approached each other, Tony tucking a loose strand of hair behind Zivas ear much as McGee had done to her earlier, before cupping her face with both hands. She could see even from her sitting position on the floor that Tony was far more nervous than he was letting on, his signature smirk fading as he trailed his eyes down to her deep pink lips and back up again slowly, as if asking for permission. She however was obviously granting it as she took a tiny step forwards, crushing her lips to his before he even had a chance to register what was happening. After some moments he seemed to eventually come to his senses, one hand finding her silky brown hair and the other resting on her hip as they both melted into the kiss, her hands running through his hair as she pulled him even closer, if that was possible.

Abby was grinning widely now, watching on as two people she had come to regard as friends kissed passionately in front of all of them. It was strange really, neither of them she had liked all those months ago, not even the tiniest bit, and yet now she felt like they'd been her friends for years...

Just then something occurred to her as she averted her eyes, locking gaze with McGee as she realised with surprise he was already looking back at her. He had a very soft smile on his face, though weirdly he didn't seem to be paying all that much attention to Ziva and Tony. Actually, he didn't seem to be paying them _any_ attention...

Dismissing it as no more than wanting to give them some form of privacy she smiled back at him, gesturing to the still kissing couple with one hand as she stretched the other out to him, mouthing a not-so-subtle '_Pay Up!_'.

He chuckled aloud at this, and she wasn't sure what it was, but she suddenly felt... _something_. She wouldn't even be able to begin to describe it if someone asked her, but the way he smiled at her was starting to give her a flip-flopping sensation in her stomach, what she supposed most normal people would refer to as '_Butterflies_' . That particular idiom had actually never made any sense to her before, and yet now that she was experiencing it it made absolute, perfect sense. _It really was like having a million little butterflies fluttering about in your tummy._

"She said kiss guys, not play tonsil tennis!" Luca shouted at Tony and Ziva after another couple of moments as they quickly pulled away, both of their cheeks flushing in embarrassment as they swiftly distanced themselves from each other, returning to their places soundlessly.

"So, is Tiva a thing then?" Abby asked excitedly, grinning as they both looked at her with the most confused expressions they could muster.

"Tiva?" They both asked in almost perfect unison, each one trying to figure out what the heck she was talking about before the other.

"Tiva, y'know, Tony and Ziva!" She explained happily, laughing loudly as a flash of realization crossed both of their faces.

"We... will have to talk. Later. _In private_." Ziva said slowly, directing this and an accompanying stare at Tony, that soon made Abby come down off her high, wondering what the issue was between them.

"Well, uh, enough of that! Who wants to watch a movie?" Abby exclaimed loudly, trying desperately to change the subject as she felt the tension rising fast in the air. There were murmurs of agreement from the others, so she turned to Sarah, smiling at her kindly. Possibly overly kindly, since she was trying very hard to make Sarah like her. She wasn't sure why the younger McGee seemed to dislike her so, but she did have her suspicions about what was going on at the McGee household, and knew that she had to cut her some slack. She wasn't a bad kid, after all, and she'd probably grow to like Abby in her own time. Or at least that's what she _hoped_.

"Why don't you set up the dvd player while I go make the popcorn?" She suggested, to which Sarah just nodded, jumping straight into a loud discussion with Tony about which movie to watch as Abby got to her feet.

"Timmy, could you help me in the kitchen for a minute?" She asked, smiling sweetly at him as he nodded.

"Yeah, sure Abbs." He agreed, getting to his feet and accompanying her out of the room and to the kitchen, kind of confused as to why she'd need any help if she was only making popcorn. It wasn't that he wasn't happy to help, he was, but somehow he had a feeling she hadn't called him through there to put a bag in a microwave for her.

"So, what do you need help with?" He asked politely after a few moments of silence, hovering near the doorway as she rooted through cupboards.

"What do you think the problem was in there?" She said out of the blue, smiling triumphantly as she finally located the box of instant popcorn bags.

"...You mean Tony and Ziva?" He asked, leaning against the doorframe as he gazed at her with concerned eyes. She was now chewing on her lip thoughtfully as she placed the bag in the microwave, obviously bothered by something as she sighed deeply. However he knew better than to ask her directly, as in true Abby fashion she would probably dodge the point for as long as she possibly could, or clam up altogether if he was particularly unlucky. He'd have to go about this more... _tactfully_.

"Yeah, I mean what was going on? She looked... unhappy after it. _Uncertain_ even." She said in a hushed tone, leaning back against a countertop directly opposite him.

"Maybe Tony is just a really bad kisser." Tim joked lightheartedly, earning him a playful punch in the arm.

"That's not nice McGee!" She scolded, unable to stop the giggle that had escaped her lips as she smiled.

"Probably true though." He said as he laughed along with her, grinning widely.

"But seriously, I don't understand what went wrong! It was all planned so perfectly-"

"You planned this?!" He exclaimed loudly in disbelief, just as she shushed him, her eyes darting around as she checked to make sure no one had heard them.

"Maybe?" She replied with a sheepish smile, tilting her head to the side as he couldn't help but smile back.

"And I suppose you found a willing accomplice in Sarah, right?" He guessed, thinking back to when they'd both left the room for a suspicious amount of time earlier, just before the prank calls.

"Well, she agreed to help me if that's what you mean... I still don't think she likes me that much though." She said, her tone becoming much softer towards the end, her smile fading as she turned to put the box away.

"Abby," He started in a gentle tone, going over to her and placing a comforting hand on her arm as she froze in surprise. "She's just going through a tough time right now, it's got nothing to do with you... I promise." He reassured, squeezing her arm gently as she spun back around to look at him.

"I'm guessing things with your parents aren't going well then." She said tentatively, unsure of whether this was an okay topic to bring up. She didn't want to upset him, but then again she really was starting to worry about him, and his sister. Every time she'd been over it was like world war three was breaking out, that or it was eerily quiet. Not to mention the fact that she didn't seem too well liked by his father, who always glared at her disdainfully whenever they were in the same room together, a situation she had soon learned to avoid if she could.

"T-Things at home aren't exactly g-great right now, no..." He confessed quietly, jumping a little as it was her turn to place sympathetic hand on his arm.

"Hey Abby?" He asked after a moment of silence, his eyes avoiding hers shyly as he started at the ground.

"Yes?" She replied softly, unsure of where he was going with this train of thought.

"I don't know if I said it earlier, but thanks for letting Sarah stay as well, I really appreciate it..."

"Well, Sarah _is_ the mini McGee, I couldn't exactly turn her away!" She said after a long moment, trying to lighten the mood again with an awkward laugh that didn't seem to make either of them any cheerier.

"Look Tim... if you ever need anyone to talk to, you know i'm here, right?" She spoke slowly, trying to put her feelings into words as she squeezed his arm again gently, making him look up at her with dejected, subdued eyes.

"I know you are." He replied, a small smile crossing his face as he leaned forwards, catching her off guard as his lips were pressed against her cheek for the second time that night, a shy, chaste kiss, but a kiss none the less. She couldn't help but notice the way her heart was racing as she smiled broadly in return, his mumbled thanks making her smile all the wider.

Just then the ping of the microwave reminded them of why they were in the kitchen in the first place, and Abby turned away after a long moment, going to retrieve the popcorn.

"You owe me twenty dollars, by the way." She said, thankful she had her back to him so he couldn't see the smirk that was already tugging at her lips.

"They're not together yet Abbs." He hastened to remind her as she turned, discovering he was already holding out a bowl for her to pour the popcorn into. Smiling gratefully she took it from him, placing it on a countertop as she tore open the bag.

"They kissed, _and_ they're as good as together anyway." She objected, smiling to herself as she poured all the popcorn into the bowl.

"I'm not paying you until they're _actually_ together." He replied with a smirk, much to her irritation as she pouted.

"That's not fair!" She exclaimed in a childlike manner, folding her arms across her chest as she turned to find him smiling widely back at her.

"Come on, don't we have a movie to watch?" He said after a moment, chuckling softly as she huffed in annoyance, taking his hand and dragging him back down the hall, popcorn in hand.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So there we have the first half of the sleepover! I greatly enjoyed writing this, and I hope you're enjoying reading it so far too. :)**

**Also, on another note I realised I couldn't reply to you privately ed13, so i'm just going to jot a quick response here. Firstly, you didn't offend me, don't worry! Constructive criticism and opinions are always appreciated, as it helps me know what you everyone likes and dislikes, and ultimately helps me improve. That goes for all my awesome reviewers! :D And secondly I should have made the movie reference clearer in hindsight (I just reread it now), so that's my fault to be honest. x3**

**Anyway, thank you for reading, and hopefully i'll see you next time! :3**


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